


War's A Dangerous Game {TOMTORD}

by CakeIsMyHeart



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Damn my oc has a SAD backstory, Developing Relationship, F/F, F/M, I Don't Know Where This Is Going, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, War, Welll, how do you even tag, i have no clue, possible asdf references, scifimagicfantasy, steady progression
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2019-07-03 23:30:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 33,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15829155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CakeIsMyHeart/pseuds/CakeIsMyHeart
Summary: After the incident regarding Tord coming along with a giant robot and ruining everything, things changed drastically. After believing Tord was dead for 5 months in their new apartments, the guys  turn on the news to find that Tord (or "Red Leader" as he is known by the public) has a giant army, and he has declared war on the world with said army. Weeks go by and the war goes on, Tord and his army getting stronger by the day. Eventually, they all decide to join the British army, and go against Tord, all while hiding the fact that they used to know Red Leader very well, but Tord's callouts to his "old friends" on the radio and news don't really help if they all cringe at the thought of Tord saying their actual names. Tom's still confused as he'll by all this, not to mention the fact that he somehow finds all that Tord is doing to be slightly (In it's own, twisted way) endearing. That and he suddenly has contact with his soulmate, who annoyingly loves to doodle on his arms. Who could that be, I wonder?There's a discord that I may or may not have made for ya'll to talk about this, suggest stuff, ask questions....Yeah it exists.https://discord.gg/UJfhZXf





	1. Prolouge: The News Tells Quite the Tale

Tom's Pov

The bright light filtered through the window's curtains and shine in my eyes, or well, eye sockets. I groaned in disdain,finding at the clock on my bedside table. 10:36 I read it bright blue led. I sat up, the faint smell of breakfast wafting into my room through the vents and under my door. Blinking the sleep from my eyes, adjusting to the light I looked at my closet and dresser, then the clock, and decided to get my ass out of bed.

Standing up, in nothing but a t shirt and boxers, i padded over to the closet. Opening the door, I reached in and grabbed a fluffy blue towel from the pile on the shelf. Opening the drawers, I grabbed my usual outfit of black pants, socks, underwear, t-shirt, and my hoodie. Fortunately, this new apartment of mine ha a bathroom attached to the bedroom, so nobody has to wait in line for the toilet here.

Ah, this is a new apartment, now isn't it? I grimace as I step into the shower, already having discarded my clothes. Yes, this was new, and it was all because of a certain devil horned commie bastard that betrayed us 5 months ago.

We started calling that incident, "The End", and it basically ended in the death of a very kind hearted neighbor and my shooting down a giant root with said commie bastard in it and the destruction of our house, not to mention Edd has trust issues now, and poor Matt was absolutely traumatised from that punch in the face.

I didn't want him back with us to begin with, but I held my tongue from spewing out "See? I TOLD you so!" or something along those lines .In fact, after all was said and done, we got closer. We have our own apartments, but they're all connected to a common room, so we all just hang out.

I get snapped out of my thoughts by a loud knock at my door, and Matt calling out, "Breakfaaaast!" I sigh and shout, " Yeah yeah, be right there, " and finish my shower. Turning off the water, i feel some relief. Tye water was calming, and its rythmic pounding on the tub was relaxing. Drying off and stepping out, I felt the cold air chilling my skin. I shivered and quickly got dressed.

When I exited the room, bottle of Smiroff in hand and walked to the common area, I was greeted by Edd and Matt having a look of horror on their faces. I looked, and they were watching the news. Strange, but I shrugged it off, that is until my brain actually caught up with my eyes and saw an image of Tord. The commie bastard. The traitor. Alive. It was just at that moment, too, when my right palm suddenly started to feel like it was burning.

The pain only lasted a minute, but it hurt like hell. It was like getting scalded by the handle of a extremely hot cast iron pan. Unfortunately, this made me drop my bottle, which alerted everyone of my presence. Web they saw me clutching my palm, their expressions morphed from horror at the news, surprise at my sudden appearance, bewilderment at my hand, and then pure joy when they realized what was going on.

Matt shouted first;

"OH. M. GEEEE! TOM HAS A SOULMATE THAT HE CAN TALK TO!" He looked about ready to burst . He pulled out about 12 pens and threw them at me before finally deciding that he would actually run over to me. We're close to the same height, m being 5 '8 and Mart being a whopping 6 feet tall. Edd turned off the T.V and walked over to me, taking my hand in his and turning it over. Right there, smack dab in the middle of my palm was a heart, sure to match my "one and only's" palm. "Well?" Edd said, staring expectant at me.

I glared saying, "Well what?" Edd laughed and said, are you going to ask your soulmate the usual questions? " I made a face, disgusted. Just as I was about to answer, thin, loopy handwriting started appearing on my wrist. The messages were the usuals;

 _1: Are you a man or a woman_?

_2: Age?_

_3: Are you happy?_

The first two were to be expected, the third, was a surprise. Then, under the questions, they answered the same questions themselves;

_1: I am a man._

_2: I am 24._

_3: Yes, I think I am._

At that I just stared. 'A man?...Same age as me? I...What?'

Just then, I realized once again that Edd and Matt were staring at my arm, shell shocked at what just happened. Edd cleared his throat and said, "Bacon and pancake towers?..." Matt shouted " Yeah! " in response and ran to the table where food was waiting. Edd followed suit, and I merely wrote on my arm, 'I am a man, age 24, I don't really know.' At that, I retrieved the Smirnoff, and went to the table. Matt then piped up, saying, " Well, there's a war, and we have bacon, " shutting up, he dug into his meal and began eating.

Tord's Pov

I stared at my arm in shock. My soulmate was a man? Ok, cool. I could live with that, but it only made me curious. What did they like? Tall? Short? In a relationship? Not likely after the marking. Scientifically speaking, soulmates were confusing and thus far how it worked was inexplicable. The fact you were physically unable to describe what you looked pike past you physical dimensions was a fascinating aspect of the entire phenomenon. You would simply freeze up if you tried to write your name or describe your looks. Sometimes you couldn't write something if it pertained to your soulmate. The moment you realize you are someone's soulmate is when your hands touch after the marking, and your chests begin glowing. Truly, it's awe-inspiring. Should I find his soulmate, I shall make sure to care for them. I'd keep them safe. And hopefully woo them over. After all, I AM trying to take over the world. Glancing at my arm, I noticed vaguely familiar handwriting appearing on his wrist, revealing that my soulmate was in England, and loved blue. Clicking the pen in my hand, I wrote;

_Oh you like blue? I like red. Together, we are purple ;)_

An embarrassed hastily written reply greeted me saying,

**Don't tell me that I have a player for my soulmate, besides, we are GUYS. We can't have kids dammit. And why are you thinking that far ahead already!?**

_Oh no no no! I only flirt like that with you~ Now tell me, are you taller or shorter than 6 foot?_

**Augh. I'm 5' 8. Don't tell me you're tall, are you?**

_Ahaha! Sorry to disappoint but I am that tall love._

**Hey, no pet names. We barely know each other.**

_But we are soulmates, are we not?_

**Augh! You're infuriating! Now let me eat my food in peace. I have matters to attend to. My friends are teasing me too.**

_Ah, I too need to attend to business. Another time?_

**Eh sure.**

And it was at that that I put down his black pen. Rolling down my sleeve, I began looking at my most recent tests with soulmates. Patryk and Pau were very useful in the tests, and thus far, it could be concluded that the properties of the ink used could carry over to the soulmate. For example, a paralysing agent in ink could seep into the other's skin quickly and render them useless. Good in a hostage situation. To bring someone powerful to their knees, take their other half. That could be used against me, hence why this is private research. Sighing, I turned to my desk and began to review pans and results.

~~End Prologue~~

Constructive criticism is very welcome!


	2. Chapter 1: A war Starts and Breakfast Chats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It takes some effort to figure out what to do, and it takes Time. Both of which,we have none.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please check out the original on wattpad at my account @Cakeismyheart!  
> Thank you,enjoy!

Tom's Pov

I capped the pen and rolled my sleeve down, only to look up at my two idiot friends making stupid eyebrows at me. I sighed, and if I could, I would have rolled my eyes. But instead I grabbed a fork, and started shoveling pancakes and bacon into my face.

It was also at this splendid moment (Note my sarcasm) that my head finally started to register that there was a dull throb in the back of my head. Just a friendly reminder of my drunk escapades from the night before. Hell, I was so hammered that I barely remember what the hell happened.

After everyone finished breakfast and washed up everything, Edd told us to go back to the table and talk about the announcement on the news from this morning. As I sat back down, Edd began the conversation, and popped open a cola, whilst I opened a smirnoff. Matt sat there playing Pokemon because why not.

"So, we know that Tord is alive, " he paused tp glance at me before continuing, "And that he is running an army. Not only that, but he seems to be preparing to wage war against Europe, and the news said that if we do go to war, there is likely to be a draft," Edd glanced at me, " What else? "

"It looks like the giant robot crash did some damage to him. He's got a robot arm, but," I took a swig here" Knowing that commie bastard, he probably rigged the thing to be a multipurpose weapon rather than just a prosthetic. His face took some damage, but it looks like the he recovered pretty well from that, " I grumbled out the last bit because for some reason,the fact that his face recovered well was some relief. And even worse, I felt GUILTY that he lost an arm. I shouldn't feel bad! That bastard betrayed us! Killed an innocent neighbor! And destroyed our house!

I was pulled back to reality by the TV announcer saying, "A drafting notice is being sent out now, to all possible recruits. The PM just announced that as of 10 minutes ago, we are in an active war. Citizens should be alert, all possible candidates are being asked to join the military, and if you have prior training, it's highly requested that you go to the nearest recruitment center. The Red Army, nor its leader are to be taken lightly. They just......" Edd turned the volume down, and said, "Well?" Matt looked up and said, "Well?" As though expecting an answer. Matt piped up with, " Guys? Will this destroy my beautiful face? "Edd looked at him and said, "I don't know, but....Should we enlist?"

" Whaddaya MEAN should we?! Of course we should! We gotta give him his just desserts! " But as I said that with all that confidence, I found myself faltering. But Edd and Matt both shouted, "YEAH!" So I thought, 'Yeah, we should,' Edd then piped up and said, "So.....What are we waiting for? We may get to ride in a tank again! Let's go enlist!"

~ ~TIME SKIP brought to you by Susan and Smirnoff~~

It's been about a week since the war started, and now the three of us are going to the training facilities. Or, we're there, and we're getting settled into barracks. Due to the fact that we already went through training, we're being put in advanced training.

On a lighter note, my soulmate is very annoying. He flirts relentlessly. And, he's a...Businessman? I don't really know. But I told him I rejoined the army recently, but past that, I couldn't write more.

Time skip because author is lazy

Training had been tough, but we're all due to be shipped off in a day. I sighed, picking up my assignment. Matt got to be in a communications office at a base in France, Edd said something about Hungary, and I was just now opening my assignment. Unfolding the crisp white paper, I cleared my throat and said, "I will be assigned to a base in...."

TBC


	3. Chapter 2: Off To War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drama, dramallama, drama, plotting, ya know. The usual

Tom's Pov

My eyes widened when I saw the destination.

"Norway,"

More specifically, on the border of Norway and Sweden,as Sweden needed reinforcements. Badly.

Edd stood abruptly, shputing "GIMME THAT I DON'T BELIEVE IT!"

I handed the paper to Edd, only to have him start fuming at my assignment. "Norway?! Why? THAT'S THE FRONT LINES! WHY I OUGHTA--" At that, Matt placed a hand on his shoulder ans said, "Edd, we are grown men. You are not Tim's mom,"

"It's Tom, not Tim," I lazily muttered as I laid my head in my arms. My assignment came as a surprise, and I honestly didn't know how to feel. On the one hand, it gave me more opportunity to find the commie bastard that ruined our lives, but on the other, it was likely that I would die, and my two closest friends were in two different places as well. Apparently I was shipping out the next day.

Tord's POV

I looked at the report s laid before me on my desk. I had already finished the paperwork regarding supplies, that was all filed away, but now, I was looking at all this research on soulmates.

Records of strange occurrences, the research, everything relevant. Apparently, no matter what, the properties of an ink used on your skin is the same on both sides. If there was a tracking microbot in some ink, and could transmit it's location quickly, I could, in theory, find my soulmate in a matter of minutes. I knew the parameters of what my soulmate looked like, (5 foot 8, muscular build, male, brunette, apparently has a resting bitch face.). So finding my soulmate should be easy. Right? Nope, Wrong.

See, the tracking device I am planning on using is pretty small. So it can't do really long disyances, say, all the way in Antarctica, but it can do anywhere in Europe, almost. In the end, either my soulmate is within a 10,000 km radius, or I gotta search elsewhere. Or just wait a while. I hope they end up being nearby so I can take him by my side and take over the entire world.

Paul and Patryk know not to bother me, as I finished all my work early just to research soulmates and figure out where mine is. I learned that he only speaks English and german, with German being his second language because he went for a couple months and got drunk off his ass. Oh, and he likes alcohol, and music. He has been pretty busy as of late, but he won't tel me his occupation. I've honestly become pretty curious. 

Bing!

I am pulled from my thoughts at the sound of a notification from my soldiers on the border. Apparently, a new base, or well, reinforcements for the old base, are being shipped in at the border. Thinking for a moment, I say, 'Wait for them to make a move, give them a false sense of security, then wait for my orders. Keep an eye on them.'. Satisfied with that, I wait.

'Should I make an announcement on the radio? Yes? No? Yes. I shall.' Clearing my throat, I turned on the microphone and began recording;

"Hello, old friends...You may think that I speak to the entire world right now, but in truth, this will only be understood by 3 people. Or...More like two. One of you has a hazy memory, but I'm sure you remember me. Anyway, I hear you all joined an army? Hah, just like old times, no? Either way, you're probably only joining because of me, after all, we were once good friends, but I'm afraid you won't defeat me, you won't be able to. Anyway, until next time, old friends! Until next time..."

And with that I turned off the mic, leaving the world wondering who my three 'old friends' were. I leaned back in my chair, laughing quietly as I thought of their reactions at being called out, praying desperately that I didn't say their names. As I smiled to myself, I felt a small tingle on my arm, indicating that my soulmate was furiously scribbling something on our arms. I rolled up my sleeve, looking at the words written.

Ugh, I HATE this. I just have to keep my head down, and pretend like I am NOT 8#&=+@"-\&gsbsgsndfaj-+$-#%28' Why isn't this coming out right?

Oh? Something that you can't say?

Yeah, guess so. Can't wait for this war to be over so we can finally meet face to face, ya know?

Oh, I hope we meet sooner than that.

Uh, what's that supposed to mean?

Oh, well sggdgdgc537"$"6;:gsjdg ivn:#'7@(

....What...?

Uh, why can't I write it?

I have no clue, but I gotta go, dngf&$'$7=fsmdjbehkd dkhs*°€[\¥€=¢×. Apparently I can't say a thing.

Wait, can I...Doodle something on you real quick?

Uh, yeah? Sure?

Yay!

Tord clicked his pen closed, and looked at his work   
Tord clicked his pen closed, and looked at his work. All that was left now was to activate the tracking device to tell me where he is, and then, I'll know where my dearest soulmate is. He'll be surprised that the man trying to take over the world and is kinda succeeding at it was his one true love, but, everything would work out, right? Then, the question of his safety would not plague his mind, and taking over the world would be much easier.

He turned to the holographic map that would display where his soulmate was, and he pressed the Red button with his eyes closed.

Beep!

He opened them.

Beep!

He looked.

Beep!

He was in Sweden. His soulmate was near the border of Sweden. Somewhere. But in Sweden. The country bordering Norway. Not far from his base. At all. What would he do with this information? When? How?

Soon, the pieces will all come together.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so the reason Tom and Tord couldn't write whatever they wanted was because that would reveal too much, and Fate is a bitch.


	4. Chapter 3: The Front Lines, Communication, and Anticipation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand now we know what's up with the base.ouch man. Ouch.

Tom's Pov:

I looked at my arm with a small smile. My soulmate had drawn on my wrist. It was an intricate heart, something small and beautiful, easy to look at. I rolled my sleeve back down and stood up, turning to go to the small 'welcoming committee ' to get us used to this place. As I (Along with all the other soldiers) were marched to the base, we saw soldiers who looked as though they'd been put through hell and back.

The soldier next to me let out a low whistle, and said, "We've got our work cut out for us," As we got closer, I saw our new commanding officers standing there. Not really notable, they were as ragged as the foot soldiers they saw all around them.

We stopped in formation in front of them, and they began to drone on about the war effort here, and how with our help as reinforcements, protecting the border would be so much easier. I was snapped back to reality (Oop there goes gravity.) at the movement of my peers shuffling towards the barracks. Once we got in, we just tossed our sacks down onto our cots/bunks, turned back around and marched right out to the canteen.

We got in line, received our MRE rations, and separated to go to various tables. I looked at my ration, shrugged, and walked to a table inhabited by some of the soldiers who'd been here longer. "Hey guys," I say as I approach them. "Mind if I sit here?"

The man closest to me glanced at the others, then back at me. "Sure," He said. " Sure, you can join us. We may not live to see tomorrow, " He smiled, seeming to.softly glow with exhaustion and kindness, almost out of place, compared.to.his marred features. I smile back, "Thanks," I say as I sit down next to him. Just at that moment, I hear a radio come on and a scratchy announcement emanate from it. I scowl and my stomach churns in disgust at what I hear next.

"Hello, old friends...You may think that I speak to the entire world right now, but in truth, this will only be understood by 3 people. Or...More like two. One of you has a hazy memory, but I'm sure you remember me. Anyway, I hear you all joined an army? Hah, just like old times, no? Either way, you're probably only joining because of me, after all, we were once good friends, but I'm afraid you won't defeat me, you won't be able to. Anyway, until next time, old friends! Until next time..."

That BASTARD! He pretty much just called me, Matt, and Edd out! Without meaning to, I mutter, "Tch, Traitor..." Immediately next to me, I notice someone freeze yp. They turned their head towards me and asked "...What?...." I wave it off as spnothing, and say everything is fine. Turning my attention back to my ration. I take a tentative bite, and look up at my tablemates. "So, can you guys fill me in on what's been going on here?" I prompted , hoping to steer the conversation away from what I muttered.

The lady across from me, Violet, sighed and shook her head. A lock of her hair fell into her eyes, and she brushed it away. "Well, where to begin?" She began. She turned. sheepish, and looked at the others for a prompt,.and finding none.turned back to me. "Well, you already know we've been hit pretty hard here. Heck, we started this base with 4000 soldiers. It's dwindled down to just 200, in a matter of weeks. Our supplies are running low too, and our soldiers that remain are severely injured. We need more ammo, and more rations. I mean, you new guys came with some,and we're thankful, but, that doesn't change the fact we're losing here, " She stopped, and glanced at her neighbor to continue. I hadn't yet heard him speak, and she said to him, "Got something to add, Harold?" He looked up for a brief second but immediately looked back down.

In a gruff, hoarse, voice, he managed to grate out, "Sorry to say, but you greenies? Fresh out of training and everything. You're getting tossed to the wolves here. We're losing this war. No other way to think of it. At this rate, we won't survive another week,much less.a month," he licked his lips and paused here, seeming nervous. "I really don't think we'll win this war, I just don't," 

I chewed my food,.and swallowed. 

This, was not sounding good.

\--Time Skip--

I lay in my bunk awake. I could hear my fellows snoring, but I couldn't sleep. Instead, I thought of my soulmate. Who was he? Was he safe? What did he mean by, "I hope sooner that that," anyway? How. would he get to me? Is he fighting? No, but how? He said he was.always doing business, so what did he do? Why did his handwriting look so familiar?

I groaned quietly and held my head in my hands. Agh, I am thinking WAY too much, I peeked at my wrist, where the drawn heart was. I smiled a little, and sat up. Picking up my small flask, I unscrewed the cap, and took a light swig. I sighed closed the flask,and lay back down. Closing my eyelids, I thought, 'Why do I feel something annoying is going to happen?'

Nd with that, I drifted slowly into a dreamless sleep, hoping to whatever's up there I'd get to be the on to do Tord in (Oh don't worry, you will, ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) You will.)No, not Tord. Red Leader. Commie bastard. Not Tord, never him. Never again....

TBC


	5. Chapter 4: Revelations, A battle Lost, and The Search For The Other Half

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well....Shite happened.  
> Yep.  
> Also sorry this is late. Shit happened in my life.

Tord's Pov

It took me no.more than 20 minutes to pinpoint my soulmate's location. He was in the military, and was recently transferred, from what I can tell, he is stationed at the base at the border. I smirk, 'Two birds with one stone, eh? I get my soulmate, that troublesome base falls, I get what I want, no matter what. If I don't end up succeeding in retrieving my soulmate, at least I'll know who it is, right? '

I rubbed my temples as I leaned back into my chair. Looking at the clock, I saw that it was 10:30, perfect. I'd best go to sleep if I wanted to storm the base tomorrow, right? Ah, well, we shall see what happens. Tomorrow.

Tom's Pov

~~Dream~~

I was floating in a void.

The darkness enveloped me like a blanket, swaddling me like a child. I was content. After what seemed like ages, I began to hear a faint melody. 

Turning my head and body towards.the source of the lullaby, I noticed a dull glow emanating from what looked like a closed doorway, but I couldn't tell.

I seemed to gravitate toward the door, and then all of a sudden, I was in a eoom. A shadowed.figure sat on the res couch, next to a furnace. I felt so confortable with them. He stood,and came closer, pulking me into an embrace, and then---

I was shaken awake by someone. Viciously so. I blearily opened my eyes. It was Harold that was waking me up.

"GET UP.DAMMIT! WE HAVE TO GO, WE'RE GETTING ATTACKED!" He shouted.

" Waaaa?....Wait what? " Then his words finally clicked. The base was getting attacked, and we had to get ready to fight.

Quickly, I hopped out of my bunk and tugged on my uniform, not caring if it was overly messy, and as I tugged my boots on, Harold placed some weapons ans ammo on my covers. "You're gonna need this," he said, not looking me in the eye. I finished getting ready, and he continued , "The enemy is coming pretty fast, but we likely have a few minutes to get in position. Sergeant Willerbottom said we'd be posted pretty close to the base, as we don't have enough to spread ourselves out, and spreading thin would be suicidal. Help is coming, but they're still an hour or two out...." He continued rambling on as we rushed to our positions, and as I looked out, I saw it was true. They were coming in fast, and we were sitting ducks. 

::Time Skip Brought To you By my Wedding To Fries::

We were holding our own pretty ok, that was until we saw them getting ready to shoot large projectile or a laser at us, so we received rush orders to evacuate. I made it down safely, but Harold got stuck.

"No, Tom, DON'T.JUST LET THIS OLD DOG DIE, " He shouted at me as he struggled to get unstuck. And at the moment I was about to make my decision, I was blown back at the impact of a giant laser to the base. I was knocked.down and looked at my watch, 30 more minutes?! Ugh, air lifts are so time inefficient, but eh. Who am I to complain? I just gotta hold this position. That is until I hear a voice nearby shout something that chilled me to the bone.

"Check around! We are looking for a man with brown hair, in a uniform, and is 5 foot 8. Also has a heart drawn on his left wrist, under his sleeve," I hear a husky Norwegian accent call out. At that description, I am pretty sure I was the only person who could fit that description. I froze.

'Did he say...Heart? On the wrist? Drawn?'

My eyes widened, 'He has my soulmate captive, doesn't he!' 

"Oh? What's this? I hear from behind me. I turn, but not fast enough. My gun was already somehow knocked out of my hand, too far for me to reach it. I looked at the origin of the voice." To-Red Leader...... " I pretty much growled at him. He smirked, cocked his head all innocent at me and said, "Oh! You recognize me? I'm so flattered, old friend!"

And then, in a fit of rage, I threw my fist at his face, shouting, "How many times so I have to tell you?! I. Am. Not. Your...FRIEND!" 

time see med to slow to a stop as I threw my punch, and at that moment, that bastard caught my fist.

"Ha!" He chided at me, " Classic, stupid,--" My hands tingled, from the looks of it, so did his. And then, gradually, my chest heated up,and looking down, began to glow. Tord's did too. Brighter and brighter, the light grew, in a matter of seconds. "Tom?"

" No.... " I whispered. The shock setting in. I yanked my hand away from his. "No ...O-of all people, I'm going to fall for YOU? YOU? The guy that ruined everything? I thought I had killed you that day, I wish I had!"

Tord's Pov

I recoiled in surprise at the sudden revelation that of all people, Tom, the Jehovah's witness, the drunk, Classic, Stupid, TOM, was my one true love. The one. My SOULMATE. The person I hated most, and who hated me even more. Tom. Tom Tom Tom Tom, TOM. 

I glanced around and saw that many soldiers from both sides stood there in awe. Tom's allies looked at him in fear, while my soldiers looked at me in surprise and at Tom.in horror. I looked around at the carnage. Most casualties were Tom's allies. Few were mine. Blood sinking into the ground, dust settling onto the rubble. The smoke fogging the sun and making it glow oink and red. Bright red. My favorite color. I was too dazed to do anything, so I noticed too late tnat there were aircraft landing nwarby, and that Tom ran towards them with his allies not far behind.

What....Just happened?

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All aboard the angst train!


	6. Chapter 5: Trying Times, Questions and Rumors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, a panic attack, and some contemplation.

Tom's Pov

I ran towards the plane waiting for us. I heard my fellow soldiers not far behind. They'll be asking questions, about everything. 

My past with Tord. The fact that bastard is my soulmate. Whether I knew he was the one or not. 

They'll hate me for something that I can't help, that I can't decide. They might even try to use me for a peace treaty. Since, ya know, "soulmates are REALLY important to people in power" . I grimaced. There wasn't really a way to completely bock communication with your soulmate, so I could get accused of being a spy, and I wouldn't be able to defend myself.

I could hear the plane engines. Looking up, I saw the plane's ramp in front of me, and I ran even harder than before. Tap Tap tap CANG clang clang clang. I ramto.a n open spot, squeezing myself in and going limp as soon as everyone else made it. The ramp rose, and as it did, I felt the air thicken. I peeked at my neighbors, and they all were staring at me. I sighed, leaned forward, and opened my eyes. Looking to them, I said the words that were going to invite the hellish questions that awaited me. I grimaced, I still needed time to think, though time was not a luxury I was allowed. Instead, I looked at them, and said, "Well, what do ya want to know?"

At that sudden invitation, everyone bombarded me with questions.

I expected nothing less, but this was still overwhelming. So, I put my hands up, and said, "Guys, slow down. This is hard for me to process too. One question at a time, please?"

My request was greeted by silence. Thick, tense, silence. Silence so thick you would need a laser to even scratch it. This silence was only shattered by one peircing question asked by the woman who had told me about the base;

"How....How do you know the Red Leader?"

The one question that I knew I could answer. Somewhat.

I breath in through my nose, preparibg for the worst.

I open my mouth, and out come these words,surging forward;

"We met in elementary school. My two friends and I were playing around, and suddenly the teacher came n with a timid looking young boy. He wore red then, loved robots, heck, he even gave me a teddy bear when I turned 8. " I still have that teddy bear too, but I would never say that aloud. "He was a nice little kid. Had two foster dads, no clue what was up there," Actually , I did. I just didn't say. "We were all good friends for years, though eventually Commie and I kinda fell apart and we were always at eachother's throats." I thought back for a moment, and decided I wouldn't go super into detail about this. " He moved out 9 years ago, came back 8 years later , destroyed everything, killed an innocent neighbor, and I thought I had killed him with my harpoon gun," I smiled. "I love harpoons...." I murmured . "Actually, starting when he was like, 13, I think it was, he started getting into weaponry, robotics and," I shudder in distaste, " .....Hentai.... . " I grimace. He was WAY too into his hentai, most of the time. "So, yeah. I have known the bastard for most my life. End of story."

And then, everything burst.

Everyone started shouting at me that I was a traitor for having been in close contact with him, for having lived with him, for having withheld this information. for maybe having KNOWN that the communist militant leader was my soulmate. Everything was getting blurry.

Too loud. Muffled, but BLARINGLY loud at the same time.

Dull, and blindingly bright.

I clawed at my chest.

I felt trapped, like I was drowning. I was gasping for air.

I couldn't breathe.

My vision was getting spotty, slowly blurring into indefinite shapes and colors, fading to black. I couldn't do anything, I felt trapped, my consciousness slowly fading, my thoughts with them. Damn....You....commie.....

Tord's Pov

They say that for the period of time after you find your soulmate, you get left in this daze for a while. I guess I am kind of in that "daze" right now. My foster dads, Paul Westerdoon and Patryk Vorturen happen to be soulmates, and so I have at least SOME guidance on the matter. They're taking care of things while I maneuver my way through this fugue of contemplation and consideration. 

Before I had found out it was Tom, and before I had even known I had a soulmate, I 'd had an inkling that I was bisexual, but when I had found out about my soulmate, it was like someone had pressed a button, and made me go, "Oh! I"m gay now. Huh," . I mean, women are till attractive, but I don't want to date any women. I don't really want romantic relations with women. They're just....There. 

I looked at my wrist.

The heart is still there.

My heart ached in longing.

Why? Why must we be the star crossed lovers? Why must you haye me so?

No, I know why.

I am a force of destruction.

Nothing can change that.

Or can it? 

Is there something out there?

I sat in my window bench in my office. I realise now that I have been here for quite some time now. There was a period of silence once Tom had shoved me away and run off. A shocked silence. They had never seen me so...Paralyzed. I just sat there, and everyone gaped on at me as they tried to grasp and comprehend what had happened. The idea that I had a soulmate, that I could and would LOVE, seemed so foreign to them. My underlings saw me as human.

It was with this thought in mind that I pickef up a pen, rolled up my sleeve, put a cigar in my mouth, lit the cigar, and began to write;

Thomas, oh Thomas.

You have raised a great epiphany.

We looked horrified at the revelation. Honestly it still shocks me. But is it not fitting? We, two who had hated each other for years. We were the ones we were going to eventually fall in love?

A sad tale of the star crossed lovers indeed. 

I am still shocked that it was you whom I had written sweet nothings to before bed, but, I realize that my words truly do and will mean something.

You will be punished unfairly for something you cannot help, by people you once considered friends.

Fate is a cruel mistress, no?

But remember "dear", I have a place ready for you, and all you need to do is say the word, and I shall retrieve you. However, I know you would rather die than swallow your pride, but my offer still stands.

And with those last words, I clicked the pen closed, rolled down my sleeves, and put out the cigar. Maybe now, I can think in peace.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started school today. The end of the day sucked and.I got lost on the way home. Fortunately, I live in a small desert community.


	7. Chapter 6: A Game To Be Played, A Turn To Wait For, A Move to Be Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is only the beginning......

Tom's Pov

I felt heavy.

Like lead.

But I was floating in a thick black tar. Sinking slowly, then getting yanked to the surface, only to be thrown back in onto my stomach. I opened my mouth and felt the tar ooze in, choking I slowly raised (Or lowered?) my hands to my face, clawing at my mouth in a desperate attempt to spit out the goo. But the more I clawed, the more I gagged. Gagged? I thought I didn't have a gag reflex? But, I can't breathe. Maybe gagging is a last ditch effort my body is making to resuscitate me as I sink deeper into the dark depths.

I was getting pushed around, my ears were ringing, my head felt light, and my chest felt constricted. In the distance I could hear a muffled voice. The from behind me there was a little light. I was suddenly tossed onto my back, making me gasp for air, but only allowing more tar to ooze into my mouth.

'This is it,' I thought. 'I'm drowning, and nobody can save me,' The thought at any other moment would have made me laugh. I guess I live the water too much. From swimming to harpoons, I guess the way I was going to fade was by the sensation of drowning. I frowned. I really hope they don't just remember me as Tor-- No, Red Leader's soulmate. I grimaced. The sound of being remembered as 'Thomas Skadroff, Tord Ruudvolskjegg (The Red Leader)'s soulmate' didn't exactly sound most appealing to me. I struggled to break free from this liquid prison, but I only felt more constricted.

I felt a sharp pain in my arm, an injection? A shot? What am I getting a shot for? Ugh, my thoughts are running at least a mile per minute, and yet they feel so SLOW.

My arm started to burn, it felt like it was being scratched by a bird's claws, and I could feel the tiny incisions spelling out words, but I couldn't read them, or feel what they said. My skin only burned in agonizing pain as more ' words ' were carved into my flesh.

I wanted to claw at my arm, but my body felt frozen.

So instead, I laid there.

Floating in that abyss.

Alone.

In agony.

And then slowly, agonizingly slowly, light seeped into my vision. But then, it grew too bright. Blindingly bright. And all too quickly, I was sucked into something even worse than that abyss. And it was here, I would have to face my reality; I was Tord's Soulmate. I was the Red Leader's soulmate. And by some cruel twist of "Fate", that made me a traitor to the very people that I wanted to help. By something I didn't want. 

I feel that I opened my eyes all too soon. I was restrained on a hospital bed, surrounded by people I recognized as officials. Nobody looked pleased. From what I could tell, they all stared at my arm in fear, as though it confirmed a horror they'd never thought possible. I glanced at my arm, wincing in pain as I turned my head. This silence was too much. It was tense, I felt crowded, and I was desperate for a drink. My head hurt, blood pounding in the back of my head like a drum.

I saw in the loopy handwriting that I had grown all too familiar with a large chunk of text. Thia was surprising, but then agaon, Tord has always liked making my life unnecessarily difficult using some of the most simple acts, like giving a hug, or writing a note, or something like that. He could turn the simplest of acts into an insult or a weapon. It didn't matter.

I turned my head back so that I was looking at the ceiling. Even if they let me go, I don't think I'd want to move. I'm so tired. I still haven't, or maybe I just CAN'T, processed the events of earlier. So, without thinking, I managed to croak out; "Why am I tied down?" I almost coughed. ' Shit, I need water, but...I can't get any. Wjat base am I at? I didn't really listen' I inwardly groaned. After we rejoined the military, and the week before, I seriously cut back on the alcohol, but I kept a steady flow at certain times of the say, but I guess that still didn't help to ease my withdrawal. Ugh....

"Private Thomas Skadroff?"

My name? What are the--

"You're under arrest for treason, and you're coming with me,"

And this, is where I snapped; "TREASON?! HOW?! O can't help who the hell my fucking SOULMATE is, and if this is about me withholding information about what the Red Leader liked and didn't like, I really dont think that anything I could say would --"

Before I could continue, there was a fist rocketing towards my face. 

Smack.

The pain blossomed and spread across my cheek, and I almost bit my tongue.

The man who hit me, who I realised now to be General Hardemete, pulled back his fist and calmed his face into a neutral expression. He turned to the doorway, "Bring him to his cell," he barked at the two soldiers standing there. He turned his head back to me as the soldiers approached. "Don't even THINK of running away, we're not done with you," and with that, I was knocked out.

~~Time skip brought to you by: A Tord having an existential crisis!~~

I was harshly awoken by pain and water. I sputtered as I spat out the water that had just been splashed onto me. I tried moving my arms, but they were tied behind my back. I was tied to a chair, and it was dark.

Clack!

Oh wait, nevermind. I squinted at the light being shines into my eyes. And then, a voice came from behind the light, and a figure came into view, saying, "Well Thomas, we've got some questions we need you answer," 

I felt nausea rise from my stomach to my chest. I felt sick, but to get out of this, I'd have to bide my time. Until then, I was just a tool. I looked pqst the light at the strange figure. "Well?" They sneered . "Will you comply, THOMAS?"

I was silent for a second as I cleared out my throat. After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, I managed to croak out a single answer; "Yes....."

I heard a chair being pulled closer, and froze up. Somehow, they felt so close, too close even. "Well Thomas, let's begin, SHAL WE?....."

I'm so fucked.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol Tord's last name pretty much means "Clearing Meadow Beard" ahhh I love facial hair.
> 
> Also, see what I with Tom's name? Eh? Don't get it? It 's ska, then a slight reference to Smirnoff. Also, Tom may or may not go through withdrawal symptoms soon. He's been doing fine because he somehow had an entire stash (Hinted in chapter 4) but in light of recent events, may not get to have access to it. And as such, I will likely put him through even more hell. Not to mention he can't leave BECAUSE of who his soulmate is. So yeah. Chew chew on that.


	8. Chapter 7, Part 1: Questions, Torture, Recovery, Repeat.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: IT IS IN THIS CHAPTER THAT TOM IS GONNA GET FUCKED UP AND GOES THROUGH WITHDRAWAL. JUST SAYING, BUT THIS CHAPTER IS RELEVANT. TO.THE. PLOT. READ AHEAD WITH CAUTION! Also, Marigold is getting introduced this chapter!

Tom's Pov:

The light was averted from my eye sockets, somehow blinding me more. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw in front of me someone who looked about my age. His voice had made it evident that he was male, but his hair was long and kept in a bun. He wore a black uniform with pinkish purple accents on the cuffs and overall dressed more like a girl. His eyes were heterochromatic, with one being a dull green and the other a terrifyingly vivid magenta. He sat before me with a clipboard nd a small table with a cloth layed over a tray, likely hiding some torture devices.

He turned his attention entirely on me, and said "Mr. Thomas, as I am sure you have realised, you are in an....' interview' of sorts. My name is Marigold, and I have been hired to interrogate you. And before you ask," he held up a hand here. "I am in no way, shape, nor form officially affiliated with your military. I am merely a third party hired because I am....infamous for my success rates. Before we begin, I will inform you that I have to record this meeting, but aside from us, there is nobody here to oversee my methods. I am also only providing an audio recording to my contractors." He pressed a button on an audio recorder that was next to him, and turned towards me. His professional appearance dropped and he slumped in exhaustion as he readied his clipboard.

"Have any Smirnoff?" I blurted out. I cursed myself the moment after, but I couldn't take it back. I really wanted a drink. At this, ' Marigold' glanced up at me with a raised eyebrow. "Vodka? I do, but I'm afraid I spiked it with....Something," My eyes widened "That's fine! I just need a drink!" My interrogator gave me a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his neck in a moment of awkward hesitation before he replied with, "Um, no, 'fraid I can't. See, I spiked it with morphine.....Part of my tolerance training," he explained . "The fuck?" I grumbled out . "Yeah, we mercenaries gotta be ready for anything and everything!" He hurriedly explained . 

My heart stopped.

Mercenary?

My mouth felt dry, "M-mercenary?" I questioned.

He froze. But relaxed when he saw how nervous I had apparently become. The fact that they had hired a mercenary in order to interrogate me was surprising. "So, why?" I asked. Marigold cocked his head in mock confusion, "Why what?" He replied , a thin smile playing at the edge of his mouth. "Why'd they hire you!" I growled in an accusatory tone. "Because the people here who say that they're "in charge" are just a bunch of fat pussies, but they also happen to have money, which is a plus. So, they hired me because their "best" is fucking NOTHING compared to me. " he deadpanned. I unconsciously curled in on myself as he stood abruptly.

"Look, I hate doing this to people, so if we met anywhere else after this, I am SO sorry. I really and truly hate my job. So please, make this easier on both of us and just comply? No extra effort for me, significantly less pain for you! Deal?" Before I could answer I felt an electrical shock jolt through my body.

A shrill scream was ripped from my throat. "Sorry!" Marigold mouthed to me, " gotta keep up appearances! " He cleared his throat and pressed the record button on the recorder that sat on the table under his clipboard. Picking up the clipboard, he scanned the paper for a question before dubbing one acceptable. He cleared his throat, and began his interrogation with his cruel facade.

"So, Tom, may I call you Tom?" He said in a sickly sweet voice. He waited a beat before continuing, not giving me even a remote chance of replying. " Tom, when did you meet the 'Red Leader'" he made sarcastic air quotes here, almost making me laugh. "For the first time?" 

This was easy! I thought to myself as I replied with my answer, "In the middle of kindergarten," I mentally kicked myself at that. I had known him basically all my life. Ugh, they'd uae that against me, I just knew it.

Marigold snorted at my answer, as he scribbled it down. "Alright, how long had you been communicating with him after your marks appeared?" 

I kept my mouth shut.

"Tom?"

I wouldn't answer that. It's none of their business.

"Tom, don't make me shock you again. I know you hated it,"

I didn't have to answer .

"Alright, next question then," he said, seeming to move on. I relaxed when he flipped through the clipboard, only for him to suddenly slam down the switch for the shock.

I grit my teeth in agony as I felt waves of pain course through my veins. Once the pain faded, Marigold had seemingly settled on a question again. Before he asked, however, he casually slipped in the question of "How old are you?" I automatically answered with my age, " 24, " I held back the fact I was soon to be 25, but this is a war. That's irrelevant. I don't much like birthdays to begin with. "Oh really? What a coincidence! Yo two years my senior, old man." He joked. His eyes held no humor. "But really, when did your marks appear? I assume you began communicating on the spot, right?"

I didn't care if I would hurt, all I cared was that I didn't say. Knowing the commie was the one who had written those flirts and sweet nothings was shameful enough. Knowing I had reciprocated those advances made it 10 times worse. Even if I didn't know then that it was the commie, the fact that it had been him all along disgusted me. I felt the shame and disgust rise in my throat. It was is fault this was happening. I know I've been through worse, bit the idea that the commie was the root of the problem only added insult to injury. Every ounce of pain I felt was made worse with the acknowledgement that I was only here because of Tord. I rejoined the military to fight him. I faced him in Norway, and because our hands had only TOUCHED, here I was, getting tortured because of him.

Marigold's Pov

I stared intensely at the men before me with an sir of interest. He seemed to be stuck in his own loathing epiphany.

I held back a sick chuckle. It amused me to no end that in situations like this, people were SO STUBBORN with their secrets. I sighed, pulling back the cloth covering the tray on the table. I picked up my favorite, my trusty pair of pliers, and fiddled with them a moment. I sighed and looked back at Tom, still stuck in his own little world. I walked over, bringing a small table with me. I set the table back down, bring Tom quickly out of his stupor. I quickly undid one of Tom's hands. I brought it closer, examining his nails. They were grimy, which was to be expected, but they were long. I hummed my approval, murmuring, "I suppose that this will do," as I strapped his arm to the table I had brought with me.

I stepped back once I was sure he was restrained, eyeing my work. All of a sudden, I had a splitting headache. I cradled my head in my hands, rubbing my temples to make it better. At the exact moment that my head began to hurt, Tom screamed out in afony, his eye sockets glowing a deep shade of magenta. My eyes widened in shock as I put 2and 2 together and realised the trait we share. "Holy shit," I whispered. "You've got Monster DNA too.... "

I looked at him in pity, understanding the pain has was in. For a time, I myself had drank to ignore the pain that came with the DNA's introduction to my spinal fluids. Hence why I spike my alcohol. He probably has been a heavy drinker for a while. I pulled out a glass of water from a small fridge under the table. Putting it to his mouth, I tried giving the unspoken message that the water would help. He gladly guzzled it down, and with it he calmed down. I made a mental note to HEAVILY edit these recordings when I was done. 

"Now that that's over with, let me explain what's to happen next. I am going to question you, and if you don't answer a question that I have deemed 'required', I am going to," I picked up the pliers and twirled them on my hand. " Slowly remove your nails. Believe me, it's not a pleasant experience, " My eyes narrowed. He sniffed and nodded. I picked up the clipboard, and scanned the list of questions, before my eyes finally settled on one. 'This may garner some cooperation,' I thought. I cleared my throat, "So, according to those who were on board the aircraft that lifted you out of your previous post, you lived with the Red Leader in the past. It was implied that there were 2 other roommates that you had in common. Care to name them?" My stomach twisted in disgust . The only reason this contract even wanted names was so they could take more people into custody. Using people like bargaining chips like this always annoyed me.

As expected, I received a terrified "No!" In response . I pinched the bridge of my nose in exasperation. "Are you sure about that answer?" He looked up at me with a renewed spark in his eyes. "I won't betray my friends. None of us expected this tohappen at any point. But the other two don't deserve this," he spat at me. I forced myself to shrug it off, replying with, "Suit yourself," 

I tool the pliers and grabbed hold of his pinky nail. And slowly, oh so slowly, pulled it off and out of his nailbed. Slowly, his eyes teared up, he tried to hold back his screams. But, he eventually let loose his shrill screams into the room. They bounced off the walls, and he sobbed loudly as I ripped his nail off. Already, the blood was welling up to the top. Already, he was at my mercy. Already, the guilt piled on.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Chapter 7 is long, and this is only part one.


	9. Not an actual update :(

Hey, so, uhh couple of things.  
One, Sorry part 2 of chapter 7 is taking so long, school is a bitch, no my SOCIAL STUDIES teacher is a bitch, but I am also trying to figure out how to actually carry out the tort scene. Feel free to pipe in with ideas, may help.  
Two, on wattpad, I have posted some bonus content,that may explain how everyone is gonna look eventually.  
Three: OMG 360 HITS WTH THANK YOU SO MUCH Omg WOW.  
You guys are awesome.  
Like, seriously.  
Anyway, I'll try and post the next part asap. Sorry!


	10. Chapter 7: Questions, Torture, Recovery, Repeat (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here is the REST of chapter 7. What is Mari's plan? Monsters? Withdrawal? Pain? What is next??

Tom's Pov

Marigold twirled a pair of pliers in his hand. Smoothing his features into a calm expression. I started shaking, not knowing what to anticipate. My mouth felt dry, my thirst for a drink clouding my judgment and understanding of the situation. My arm was trapped down, my palm flat on the table. Marigold suddenly was gripping my pinky nail with the pliers, slowly pulling it off of my nail bed. 

I saw white.

The pain was blinding.

I couldn't believe that such a small altercation to my smallest finger could hurt so much. My eyes welled with unshed tears, threatening to cascade down my cheeks. When Marigold had pulled the nail not even a millimeter from my cuticle, I screamed in agony, and blinked the tears out of my eyes. I sobbed shamelessly as he continued to remove my nail steadily, seemingly without remorse. I tried to jerk my hand away, but any attempt to even flex my hand much less jerk my hand away from the table were met with sharp pains. I glanced warily at my hand. As soon as I looked, I felt bile rise in my throat again, this time a mixture of horror and thirst. It had been over a full day since I had go55en to taste even a drop of alcohol. 

My throat burned and my finger felt cold anf had a sharp ache in it. The pain in my finger coursed through the rest of my body as my pinky gushed the deep crimson substance that is my blood. Marigold looked nonplussed as he et down the pliers and stared me straight in the face. He sighed, and pulled out some bandages and disinfectant from underneath the table. He cleaned off my pinky, which by then felt like a dull throb, only to make it hurt even more. I hissed as he cleaned and tended to my injury that he had inflicted.

"Geez, come ON," he said exasperated, "I had all my nails ripped off before, and even though it hurts like hell, I didn't scream, geez..." My eyes widened once again at his words, I opened my mouth to attempt to speak, but Marigold, seemingly sensing my question, beat me to it. "Yes, I have been tortured before. Sometimes of my own volition," he deadpanned, and resumed his treatment of my finger.

When he finished he asked me, "So you want to keep the nail?"

What?

He took my silence as a 'no', and instead threw the bloodied nail into a box reading 'biohazard '. He really came prepared. He took off the clear gloves from his already gloved hands. He tossed them into the biohazard bin as well, since they also had my blood all over them.

"Are you thirsty?" He asked. I nodded my head rigorously up and down, saying yes. Marigold looked thoughtful as he considered my answer. I strained forward against my restraints, hoping he would say yes.

"Alright!" He said. I leaned forward even more, needing anything to sooth the burning sensation in my throat. "But," I heard him continue as he poured me a glass of ice cold water. You have to drink it yourself, " he stated as he set the glass down and walked towards the exit. "I'll be back later, k?" He said in an overly cheery feminine voice. I saw the door open swiftly, then close just as fast, sending in a draft. Looking to the glass, I saw he had been thoughtful enough to give me a straw, but the glass was far out of my reach.

As the minutes passed, the scratchiness in my throat grew to be an ache. I was drooling at the sight of the water, it's promise of sweet relief tantalizing. I noticed now that my feet were falling asleep as I shifted, hissing as I felt the pins and needles sensation of my body having fallen asleep. Tears pricked at the edge of my eye sockets, threatening to fall at any moment and mak me cry again. At that moment, Marigold walked back in.

I tensed as he came near, until he went behind me and knelt as he began to undo my restraints. My body relaxed as I began to cry. I felt him undo the rest of my restraints and then pull me into a gentle embrace. I cried and felt immobile, my vision blurry with tears. My body shook with each sob, my voice cracked and quiet. Marigold handed me the water with a look that said, 'here, drink,'. I gladly sipped the water from the straw, the cool refreshing liquid sliding down my throat.

Once I was more calm, I was once more on guard. Well, as best as I could be, what with my craving for alcohol clouding my thoughts. I now noticed that Marigold seemed significantly more chubby around the middle. He backed away and stood up while taking off his coat.

My eyes turned white in surprise as I saw the two bulletproof vests he wore, and the extra weapons and ammo he had stashed in his uniform. He took off the top vest, dropping it on the table next to him. As he deposited several other weapons and ammo, he said, "Well? Aren't you going to get ready? You DO want to leave, right?"

" L-leave?! " I cried out, my voice starting to crack. "But...But you were hired to torture me!" I shook as I shouted in surprise. My normally nonchalant demeanor having been utterly destroyed by this guy in less than a day. He looked at me like I was crazy before he let out a small laugh. He looked at me again, smiling this warm smile as though I were a child. "Why are you helping me?" I finally asked, my hands trembling, my throat dry. My head ached at the light in the room suddenly feeling far too bright. I felt tired, I needed a drink, wherw was my flask? Everything felt dull, and I could vaguely feel Mari shaking me, teyinf to get my attention. I smiled.

My arm stung, I wonder why?  
TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> K, so less torture than originally planned. But I like this. Just took me like....a week. Sorry!


	11. Chapter 8: Their Reasons, Escape, And Consolation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welp, this is somewhat necessary filler for what'll happen soon. Maei WILL ecome a better character, I promise!

Mari's pov;

I was kind of worried over Tom's fading awareness. He obviously had been drinking less than before his experience in the military. I shivered at the mention of his military. Sick bastards....

This is why I hate wars about ideology. I mean, thwy get me my paycheck and all, but really. This got pointless at one point or another, right? I never ally myself or the business I work for wth any side in these conflicts. As I finished loading the small semi automatic pistol I held in my hand, Tom still hadn't moved.

Instead, he was shaking.

His hands shook, his head leaned back, tongue rolling out of his mouth. His breathing came hard and fast, until I finally decided to help him pnce it was cleae he wouldn't do it on his own.

I leaned his head forward as I shook him gently to return him to his senses. His 'eyes' seemed glassy and dead compared to earlier. He had such spark in them then. This continued for a moment as he calmed down and returned to his senses. Quickly, he brought his left arm close and rolled up the sleeve, revealing words likely written by his soulmate.

I frown in disgust, bile rising as I thought of my own soulmate. I straightened and pushed thoughts of them away, focusing instead on what was written in delicate swooping cursive english. Focused on reading it from my upside down angle, I also realized I hadn't been using English as a written language in quite some time. As I read the note written in ink I realized that there was much more to the relationship between Thomas and the Red Leader. I smiled at that.

Thomas, oh Thomas.

You have raised a great epiphany.

We looked horrified at the revelation. Honestly it still shocks me. But is it not fitting? We, two who had hated each other for years. We were the ones we were going to eventually fall in love?

'Years of hatred? Ha, these army fools truly have no clue what they are talking about. This is genuine. I can tell.' I scoffed to myself.

A sad tale of the star crossed lovers indeed.

I am still shocked that it was you whom I had written sweet nothings to before bed, but, I realize that my words truly do and will mean something.

You will be punished unfairly for something you cannot help, by people you once considered friends.

Fate is a cruel mistress, no?

'Sure is buddy, SURE IS,' I thought cynically as I clixked my tongue.

But remember "dear", I have a place ready for you, and all you need to do is say the word, and I shall retrieve you. However, I know you would rather die than swallow your pride, but my offer still stands.

Complicated, huh? Thomas has a pride complex, they both hate each others guts, what next? They're bound to fall for each other no matter what due to their own brains releasing a chemical that makes them feel affection towards (specifically) their soulmate. Maybe I'll offer Tom the suppressants. Maybe. I'm pulled out of my thoughts by Tom's silent reaction to the words. So, I place my hand on his shoulder, saying, "Come on, let's get you out of here, no? Enough of this," He slowly nods his head, before slowly asking, "Why?"

At this, I flash him a wicked grin, "Why? Do I need.a reason? Any reason I give you would be deranged, but if you want an answer, I suppose it's merely to cause trouble. You see, if I disappear to who knows where with you in tow, make it seem like I have no clue where you are, and then I get paid to find you SIMPLY BECAUSE you may be the only way at the Red Leader, and then I don't give you up because TRUST ME, the things they want to do you just cause of who you're 'destined' to love is pretty extreme, and it's not even limited to nail pulling. oh no..." I grin even wider, "That....Oh THAT, Is just the tip of the iceberg," I finish with a wide sweep of my arms. I peek at him from the corner of my eye, and recompose myself. "Anyway," I continue , "I find you interesting and so a m bringing you along for the ride, " I finish.

Tom's eye voids have turned white in surprise, and I just turn around and eat a muffin, tossing a second one to Thomas. "Eat,"

Tom's pov

He pulled out a muffin and in one fluid motion, unwrapped it. Then he tossed a second one to me, telling me to eat it. I was about to protest that I wasn't hungry, but my stomach growled which shut me up.

I was thirsty, and I felt like if I ate I would get sick.

I looked at Marigold, and asked "Where're we going Marigold?" with an edge to my words. He seemed unfazed, and replied with "One, call me Mari, and two, I'll explain when we get there. I found out what these people were going to do to you, and I seriously didn't like it," as he continued loading a small handgun. I looked at the muffin, shrugged, and bit into it.

At first glance, this muffin may seem insignificant, or unremarkable. But if was so moist, and tasted a little like alcohol and cinnamon. I calmed down as I ate the sweet treat, savoring the taste. As I finished, Mari (As he has asked me to call him. Is he gay?) offered me the bulletproof vest and small gun he had just been loading.

I accepted them with a a questioning expression, beginning to strap the vest on after I slipped my arms through the holes for my arms. Mari noticed my expression and answered with "Well, they don't exactly want us to leave, you know?" I nodded my head as I tested the gun he had handed to me by aiming at the wall next to the door.

Bang!

The barrel of my gun had a small wisp of smoke coming from it as the wall I had just shot had a large divit the size of a bullet next to the door.

Mari looked at me with a calculated look, before finally commenting, "Well, glad to see you ain't stupid enough to just accept a gun all willy nilly,"

I laughed at his words, he sounded like he was used to talking to kids.

He started laughing too, and I felt the tension that had surrounded us melt away like ice.

"Well?" He asked as we had calmed down a little.

" well what?! " I shot back.

He approached the door, getting ready to rush out of here. "Ready to go?" He asked me, glancing back to check that I'll be okay.

I smirked.

"Ready as I'll ever be,"

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, OMG OVER 400 HITS AND 50 KUDOS?! WHHAAAAT?! Thank you oh so MUCH!


	12. Chapter Nine: Changes, Safety In Numbera, and Meetings Behind Closed Doors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Escape, contemplation, and an appointment soon approaching.

Tom's pov;

Mari kicked open the door, quickly running to the left as he spoke into an earpiece, telling whoever was on the other side he was on his way with the 'cargo'. I assumed he meant me, until I heard him add, "Oh, and the soulmate guy, him too,"

Cargo? What on earth could that cargo be? He isn't carrying anything suspicious that would imply he had a cargo, right? 

I continued to run behind him as we made our way to the extraction point. So far, we hadn't run into anyone. My breath slowly started to come fast and heavy as we ran farther, and Mari still seemed to lose absolutely no stamina as he pushed on.

Finally, we came to a stop, as Mari quickly glanced down the halls.

"Shit!"

I was pulled from my stupor at the sound of his voice, glancing up at him with questioning expression.

He glanced down at my crouched position and sighed, saying, "Well....Good news is, we're almost there. Just a door and a quick jog onto a field. Bad news is there's guards posted everywhere here. So either a) we lure them out, b) find an alternative route, or c) fight our way through. Or we could just rush them, that'd work too," he rushed.

Before I could answer, we heard a voice shout, "Hey, what are you doing?" 

In almost a split second Marigold aimed and shot him, his body crumpling to the ground , lifeless.

Marigold quickly glanced at me before moving forward saying, "Alright, c it is,"

I stood frozen for a moment more before regaining my composure and following suit.

Quickly, as I approached, he methodically knocked out each and every one of the guards, leaving me standing in awe amongst the bodies strewn across the floor. He opened the door, looked around, and motioned for me to follow.

I nodded, and bolted out the door behind him with renewed energy.Forward we ran, and there was seemingly nobody around to stop us or even catch a glimpse of us. We ran towards an open area, with planes left unattended all around us. From above, I could hear the telltale sound of an approaching helicopter.

As we got to the middle of the field, a ladder was quickly dropped from the helicopter, and Marigold grabbed my arm as he hauled me onto the ladder, and we were pulled up into the helicopter. As we rose, I glanced back to see chaos below, a stark contrast to the tranquil quiet from only a moment before, as orders to hold fire while we got farther and farther away, people quickly attempting to board their planes and AA guns. I hung there entranced, not noticing that the grip on me was absent and my own grip on the ladder was slipping.

Suddenly, I was yanked into the helicopter by the back of my shirt, and as I landed on my back, 3 faces looked down on me, while a fourth person piloted the helicopter. I blinked in shock as my mind rushed to process what had just happened.

Marigold I of course recognized, as he sat to the side undoing his hair and brushing it. His hair was long and thick as he carefully untangled it, using his fingers to comb through the locks.

The woman immediately next to him wore a uniform similar to the red army's, but instead of red, she wore bright pink. Lots of pink. Her name tag was pinned on her left breast, reading the name 'Juliana ' and was covered in pink stickers. She sat next to Mari, rummaging about in a bag, muttering things like, "Bleu? Non, ce n'est pas bien... Argent? non, trop brillante. Hé, mari? Qu'en penses-tu?" I sat there in bewilderment as she held out two bags of make up, which turned to amazement as Mari replied in the same language with, "Certainement pas celui-là, il ne se mélange jamais bien. Celui-là est correct, mais vraiment, les nuances de bleu qu'il a sont juste atroces," as he pointed first to one bag, then the other. I managed to catch tthat they were talking abkut a color, and which one to use, but past that, I've no clue.

I then turned my focus to the woman crouched next to me. She wore a British army uniform, with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She stared at me intensely, as though calculating my every thought. I stared back, my throat dry as the adrenaline of the mere moments before fading fast and hard. My muscles started feeling weak, as I carefully propped myself up against the seats behind me. 

For a split second, her eyes widened, but then they softened in understanding. She leaned forward, reaching into the cooler under the seat next to me that I had failed to notice in my stupor, pulling out a fresh bottle of water. She pulled back, arm still somewhat extended in a silent offering. I reached for the drink, gladly accepting the water and quickly chugged it all down, the cool liquid sliding down my parched dry throat.

The tag on her left breast said 'Lt. Truvont' and she, like seemingly everyone else on the helicopter, was wearing gloves. Hers however, were just plain black, compared to Mary's cobalt blue and Juliana's egregiously bright pink gloves.

And so, it was with that that I closed my eyes, and dozed off into much needed rest.

Tord's pov;

I looked at the clock as I got ready to leave. I was flying to a small 'nuetral' base run by a mysterious but well recommended corporation. The base was full of skilled mercenaries for hire, and they somehow manage to stay on the down low when it comes to publicity. I had a meeting with their leader, a fat egotistical man who seemed easily manipulated from the few chats I have had with him. 

He said he wanted to invite me to his wedding after our meeting, which I agreed to because I had heard that there were many influential arms dealers and suppliers that he himself uses. That, and what kind of woman did he get to marry him? It's almost unthinkable.

~~FLAAAAAAAAASHBAAAAAAAAAACK~~

"Hello! So, you want to do business?" I heard a gravelly American voice come from the speakers next to the screen. I restrained myself from rolling my eyes at this ridiculous man.

Faking a smirk, I replied, "Of course, what else could I possibly want to do?" Sarcasm seemingly palpable as it dripped from my tongue.

The idiot didn't seem to notice my sarcasm and cheerfully continued by gushing over the fact he was getting married soon. My ears perked at that. Marriage? This fool?

"Yes, I know, I am just SO lucky to have her. She's off doing her rounds and all, but she's just WONDERFUL, you know? She's got the body of a goddess and I swear, the way she speaks could knock me to the floor," he gushed. He paused, "Do you want to come? The wedding is right after our meeting next week, so you could make more connections and meet my LOVELY wife-to-be!" He asked .

I paused at this, meet his wife? From what it sounds like she could get him to do anything, and I should leave a good impression, so, sure, I suppose. "I would love to attend," I manage to grit out from clenched teeth.

"Wonderful! Now.....blah blah blah......." I stopped paying any actual attention.

~~End of flashback~~

Ah, that's right. I was attending a wedding tonight. Directly after a meeting.

A wedding.

Again, who on EARTH was this mystery woman? The man was insufferable just to look at, not to mention that his personality was atrocious to top it all off. Maybe just a gold digger, but he described her as extremely talented, though perhaps that was just the stupidity talking.

I glanced at my surroundings; Plush crimson leather seats, tinted windows, a lamp, and my insignia imprinted into the leather and burned into wood. I twirled a small flute of champagne in my right hand, leaning my head in my left, the cool metal calming me.

I felt oddly at peace. In fact, I had for several hours. Writing that note to my....Soulmate....Had pushed some distractions from my mind. Of course, the shock of who it was still hadn't set in. I mean, really. Me? Tord? With the Jehovah's witness? Ha! Not in a million years. But, that one in a billion chance played out just a couple days ago, when I had stormed the base in Sweden.

I gingerly rubbed the scars on my face, as I gazed out the window at the passing sights.

It wouldn't be long until I got to the Mercenaries ' base. I had been there before, and if I speak quite honestly, what I saw amazed me.

I smiled as we approach a giant forest. How they managed to stay hidden, I'll never know, but I am so glad they did. They accepted people of all backgrounds, no matter what ethnicity, religion, or beliefs, they accepted you. The place had become a safe haven for people who wanted to fight, but just couldn't decide what side to join, or deserters from all the armies. But not everyone had to be a fighter. They offer a wide variety of services, and even had a tiny tranquil village and bustling mall within the confines of their walls. When I visited, it was blatantly evident that James Rutherford was not the man in control. However, nobody would answer my question as to who was. They would only smile, or blush and say something strange like, "Oh, they're around SOMEWHERE," and walk away in a daze.

I payed attention once more as my vehicle came to a stop and the door.was opened for me. I looked around as I stepped out, noting that the normal hustle and bustle was absent, and that everyone who was there seemed to be preparing to greet some returning aircraft that I had seen land not so far away from here.

A young man wearing a yellow uniform approached me, motioning for me to follow him. I did, as he lead me silently to the my meeting with the 'commander ' of these mercenaries, and the elevator doors slid closed slowly, only to make a seemingly deafening 'click' when they met. The clock in my pocket ticked loud, as seconds passed, and the meeting drew closer. Soon, I would see the relief of someone's happiness, vut until then, I had business to attend to.  
TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO sorry this is late. Wifi didn't work.and school is a bitch, even though I am a star student. Then again, I am pretty busy roasting my social studies teacher and being extremely cruel with my words. Lol, whenever we do the 'purple hand pledge', I always cross my fingers lol.


	13. Chapter 10:Many Questions, Very Few Answers Given

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welp, this is filler to set the next couple chapters up, i guess.

Tom's Pov

I was woken up by noise.

Noise and movement.

The chopping sound of the helicopter blades slicing through the air as we were carried farther and farther from the base I had once been stationed at (And legally still was.), leaving only a cloud of dust in our wake, unlikely to dissipate for the hours to come.

I lay still for a moment longer, listening to the quiet chatter of my 'captors'.

I could hear a feminine (ish) voice suddenly belt out the lyrics to a song, and once the voice abruptly stopped there was laughter (a/n I just almost wrote slaughter wtf autocorrect). 

i opened my eyes, and say that the compartment of the helicopter was closed, leaving us in a small bubble of camaraderie. I sat up, and caught the attention of everyone else. Mari quickly greeted me by saying "Tom! You're awake? Ah, well, we should introduce everyone now, shouldn't we?" He smiled at me, and I took bo notice of how uncomfortable he was, thinking it was because he was just being squished by the two ladies next to him.

before he could continue, the man piloting the helicopter spoke up and said "Hey, uh, Mari? We're getting close to base. We'll land in about 40 minutes, but you might want to-" "Already on it," Marigold snapped at the guy, pulling out a large shock collar.

i looked on confused as he handed the collar to the woman who had given me water and bowed his head down for her and pushed his hair out of the way. The woman looked uncomfortable for a moment, but shook herself from her stupor and wrapped the collar around Mari's neck, and buckled it closed. From there she tightened it, and turned to the woman with pigtails.

In the time that the ETA was announced and the collar snapped onto Mari' neck, the woman had backed away in fear, clutching a similar collar in her hands, however, this one was pink.

"D-d-don't come any closer! I'll do mine m-myself!" She shouted in heavily accented english. My gaze lingered on her as she carefully slipped the collar on and buckled it closed. When she finished, she looked back at Mari and the Lt., and said "have may love you voth, but only I can get that thing on myself," The other two shrugged and the other woman quickly put a collar on as well, and grabbed another bottle of water.

Mari noticed my confusion, and smiled weakly at me before asking me "So, how did you sleep?"

I sat there shocked, before finally swallowing my saliva, and finding the words to respond. Before I could, however, we were making our descent, and the other 3 people (aside from the pilot) got ready to hop out. 

Mari grabbed my wrist when we landed, and when the compartment opened, ran, dragging me along with him. I glanced behind us, seeing the other two not far behind, and seeing how few people were around.

mari dragged me through the doors, and slammed them shut once the other two got inside as well. He sighed, leaning his head on the door. He calmed down, glancing back at me, before.smiling and saying, "Well? Don't be shy, spit it put now,"

Suddenly, all the adrenaline of the past few hours faded and I remembered who this guy was.

"W-well I! Uh! WHERE ARE WE?!" I screeched, wincing at the sudden change in pitch. But I didn't care. This guy had tortured me, and hadn't really told me much. I mean, I'm used to getting into weird situations, but really, this was odd.

I looked back at Marigold, as he brushed his hair behind an ear. "Really? Oh well....Well, let's talk about this over lunch, alright?" He. turned around, beckoning for me to follow. I hesitated, but my stomach growling compelled me to follow him with the promise of answers and food.

~~TIME SKIP, brought to you by a lazy author!~~

We sat in a cafe, which seemed out of place to be in a military base, but eh, the foods good. Nothing had been said yet, but I was the only one eating, the others had sat with me, but hadn't gotten anything to eat yet, instead drinking bright red smoothies they wouldn't tell me the flavor of and avoided the question. I raised my head from my sandwich, and looked uo at them expecting an explanation. We had been here for over 20 minutes.

Mari snapped back to reality (oop, there goes gravity. XD) and smiled at me, sighing tiredly, before gesturing to the woman in pink with pigtails. "This wonderful woman next to me, is Juliana. My.....Girlfriend?" He turned to the other. "This is Jax, my other....Whatever Juli is," Jax frowned playfully, before clarifying to me "Eh, does it matter?" And winking . Mari ignored what Jax said, and continued his explanation. "You are at our base, which is commonly referred to as 'The Garden' or 'The Mercenary Base'. Not a lot of people are here, but they'll be returning in a couple hours to prepare for the....Wedding that is taking place tonight. You probably won't meet our current 'boss', " he raised air quotes here, "As they will be going into retirement soon," he paused another moment, thinking about what he left out. "And that's really the basics!" He cheered .

I flinched at his suddenly cheerful and loud personality, before leaning forward with a question of my own:

"So....why am I here?"

He flinched. Jackpot .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OHHHHHHHHH CLIFFHANGER!


	14. Chapter 11:Wedding Crashed, Deals To Be Made,And Shock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have had this planned since chapter 5,  
> Lol.

Tom's Pov:

Mari paused at my question, before finally answering "I brought you because I found you similar to myself, and for the amusement of seeing both sides wonder where on earth you went. I get bored," he shrugged at the end.

I felt anger bubble in my chest, but somehow, that all dissipated as Juliana set her hand on my shoulder. Marigold stood, and looked at the clock. He shook his head, and turned to me and Jax. "Looks like its getting close to Showtime, girls. I need to get ready. Help Tom settle in, and offer him a disgui-" he paused, eyes widening as he remembered something. "Scratch that," he corrected , backtracking almost completely. "I was told the leader is going to be in attendance, and Tom....Might not want to see him. That would be unwise...."

Leader? As in RED Leader? As in....MY FUCKING SOULMATE?! I started to stand up, and turned to mari, "You work for him?" I growled . Mari shrugged, answering only with "We work for money here. Whoever hires us, hires us."

With that said, he walked out, leaving me with the two strange women. 

I stood there shocked, reeling from the revelation that the Commie would be here. In this complex base. As a FRIEND to them. My own worst enemy. I was stuck in my thoughts, and gently pulled back at the feeling of a soft pressure on my forearm.

i looked over, my eye sockets meeting with the orange gold of Juliana's eyes. They were sad, but she smiled. "Come on," she said gently , tugging my sleeve in the general direction of the door. "Mari's been stressed lately, and we need to get you settled in a room. Jax and I will answer almost anything you ask," she glanced at Jax, who nodded in agreement.

I nodded my head, letting myself be lead by her an Jax to the double doorway next to the cafe. We turned left, down the corridor to an elevator, pressing the button and waiting for an elevator to arrive.

I stared at the numbers, waiting and watching as they counted down. They finally stopped at one, leading me to assume we were on the ground floor. The doors slid open, and the three of us stepped in, and the doors closed once more. 

Once we were safely inside, I once again had the courage to speak, my throat dry from disuse. "Who's...Getting married tonight?" I asked , starting simple. Juliana froze, and she glanced around. "We'll tell you in your room, but it's the big 'boss'," she whispered .

I recoiled, bewildered at her response. What was so bad about this wedding that it couldn't be talked about here? Jax elbowed me in the gut, giving me a glare that just read 'We'll explain later,'. My eyes narrowed at them. What were they hiding?

~~Time Skip because talking about them walking would be boring!~~

They had set up a room for me pretty quickly. I didn't have much, just what I was wearing really. Juliana did a quick sweep for something, but wouldn't say qhat it was she was looking for. When she was satisfied, she turned back to me, and stated simply: 

"Someone's going to get murdered tonight, and replaced," she stared me in the eye . 

"And Mari is instrumental in that plan, and is going to be the one carrying it out," Jax continued .

My eyelids widened slightly. Murder? Mari? What? Tonight? During the wedding? "What do ya mean?" I asked .

Jax answered this time. "Mari is pretending to be a woman, is getting married to the boss, and......."

(A/N: >:D that's all you need to know.)

Tord's Pov:

I sat in a leather chair, waiting for the man with whom so was meeting to return. I glanced around the room, noticing the pure greed that radiated off the room. The man was named James, as read on the nameplate on his desk, and he was apparently the one in charge here.

"O-o-oh! Mr. Red Leader Sir! I'm so glad you could make it!" An annoying jovial voice came from behind him. The loud footsteps getting closer and finally, the giant man was walking to his seat behind the comically large desk.

He dwarfed this desk.

I smiled, "Ah, yes. James Rutherford, correct?" I feigned ignorance of who this giant was. We'd met before, and I had to get this meeting over. It was strangely confronting that a man like this was getting married tonight. "Shall we begin?" I continued , hoping for this to be over soon.

The large man before me shook himself from his thoughts. "Yes, let's!" He smiled as he retrieved some paperwork from the desk drawer. "You came to ask about hiring our elite task force for a mission, correct?" He asked as he clumsily shuffled the paperwork. 

I nodded, still amazed that this fool was the one in charge here. "Yes, and you said that I had to be here in person to..." He scratched his nose, grossly. LIke, almost picking it. "Draw up a contract for them specifically," I looked up as he finally found the papers.

"So, when?" He asked, the form was simple, easy to fill out. " Next Month, " I answered. Simple enough.

the questions and answers went back and forth like that for an hour, before finally we were done and James stood up, saying, "I need to prepare!" Before waddling out the door, as someone else came in to lead me to my room.

~~Meanwhile~~

Third person Pov

There were about 20 people setting up decorations and preparing the altar. Banners hung between all the pillars, creamy beige in color. The hall was large, and the pews could easily be put away at the press of a button. Everyone was excited, the wedding was in exactly an hour and a half.

Everyone gossiping as they set everything up.

"The bride is beautiful...."

"How? The boss is ugly..."

" The event food is going to be DELICIOUS.... "

"Shame that so and so isn't able to go..."

" Didn't Mari get sick? "

On and on, until the hall was prepared. The wedding could commence.

~~Small Time Skip~~

Tord's Pov:

I was sat in the very front, with Paul and Pat on each of my sides. James stood at the altar, with the best man at his side. I noticed that nobody smiled at James. Nobody looked happy for him, and only faked smiles when James looked at them.

And the chatter became a hush silence as the doors openes, and the bride entered. Like everyone else, my eyes followed her, and she was beautiful.

Her hair was soft looking, light brown, and tied in a long french braid. Her dress was a pure white, conservative, wedding dress, flattering her curves, but leaving much to the imagination. She had a silver chain wrapped around her waist, and the dress was obviously made to be easy to move in. Her eyes were sharp and bright, but not full of love and joy. They were cold and calculating, and she wasn't smiling.

Her veil was long in the back, and partially obscured her face in the front, but she was obviously gorgeous. She walked down the isle, slowly, as everyone's gaze followed her, including mine.

As she passed me, I thought I saw a glint in her large bouquet that she held close to her chest now, but said nothing, thinking it to be a rosary or something.

She (I had heard her name was Syarah) stood at the altar, gaze still unfaltering, and eyes cold as she stood there. James looked ecstatic, seemingly unfazed by her cold demeanor. The 'priest ' began to read their vows, and as they exchanged, I noticed that the bride's hands were thoroughly concealed.

And then, after the marriage certificate was signed by James, and he turned to give her the ring, she threw the bouquet into the crowd, revealing a pistol. The bouquet landed in my lap, and at that moment,

BANG

He was shot in the knee by Syarah.

He crumpled to the ground,face contorted in pain as he reeled from the betrayal. His eyes widened at her,.as.he cried out, "Why?!"

I just sat there , intrigued. This was obviously premeditated, but for how long? To me,I was npt a target to Syarah, just James.

Syarah merely raised an eyebrow at his words. "Wh what?" She asked, as she kicked him down, pinning him with her foot. Her heal digging into his sternum.

"I thought you loved me! So...Why?! " he crued out in agony. Syarah looked at him for a momet, vefire busting out laughing.

"Me? Love YOU?! Oh, don't make me laugh! " she cackled. "Hun, I was lying to you, the entire time," she clarified , a smile playing at the edge of her lips.

"W w what?" James tried to back away from her, but to no avail.

CRUNCH

Her heal dig into his sturnum, red blossoming in the pristine white of his shirt.

"I'll give ya a hint, " Syrah leaned close. "Wanr to hear it?" James shook his head, wincing in pain at the twisting of her foot back and forth . "I can't love my soulmate," James scowled. " There's a lot of people that don't love their --" Syrah dug her heal down. "I said that i can't. Physically, can't," she angrily clarified.

My eyebrows raised at this. Someone who can't love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaand James is dead. What's gonna happen next?


	15. Chapter 12: Deals At A Wedding, Painkillers, Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have RETURNED! With a chapter! Woooooooo

Third Person Pov

The woman stood there smiling sweetly at everyone seated in front of her. Nobody had spoken sincethe shot was fired. She waited, expectantly, for some kind of response.

There. A slight movement.

She aimed quickly and squeezed the trigger.

Bang.

Thump.

Another corpse, with a bullet hole right between his eyes. His hand reaching for a gun in a holster at his hip.

She frowned, brushing a stray lock of her hair behind an ear. "Really? That's it?" Her voice was sweet like caramel , and had a softness to it. A softness that couldn't be trusted.

She had crimson blood spattered on her front. Some had even gotten on her cheek, but it coated the bottom of her dress. She stood there, still regal as her sharp cold eyes evaluated everyone.

Her beauty was never once faltering as she made eye contact with everyone in the room. Daring them to say something. 

She laughed.

A bubbly cheerful, delicate laugh escaped her lips, gracing the ears of everyone around.

"Well," her voice changed. It was deeper, slightly more masculine, but still sweet to the ears. "Since HE'S dead now..." She pulled several papers from the altar, revealing that the wedding certificate had been fake all along. It had been a sleeve, and James had signed different documents. It wasn't obvious what they were, but they were not marriage certificates. "I guess that I'm in charge now!" She happily cheered.

Tord's Pov:

The young woman before us was still charming, covered in blood. A man behind us stood, and shouted, "Hey! Just who are you then?"

She turned and laughed. "Me? Well, first off..." She gripped her dress and all we heard next was a RIPPING sound as she tore it off (Anime Style Reveal!), revealing a suit, just without the blazer. She grabbed her veil and wig with her other hand and took them off in one fluid movement.

She stood with the dress in one hand, wig in the other, and tossed them to someone who was waiting at the side, who tossed back a grey uniform coat, adorned with medals.

She caught it, and turned back to the man who had asked. Holding up the coat. "Recognize this?" Her hair was now silver instead of brown, and she smiled as though she had won. Her hair was in one large braid, running down her back.

Now on guard, Patryk and Paul were ready to shoot her, but she looked at them and waved their concerns off. "Look, If I had wanted to harm your PRECIOUS leader," she looked at me. " I already would have, " she walked back to the middle of the platform she was to be married on, stepping over James' corpse. I felt bad, but what had he died for?

I looked up at her. Was she the one who was truly in charge before? The one everyone had avoided mentioning? But why?

This night was meant to be happy, I was supposed to witness a happy marriage, but instead, I witnessed a mutiny against their boss, and nobody had lifted a finger once they saw who she was.

She cleared her throat, and flipped over one of the documents. "Alright, so, before James met his tragic death at the hands of Syrah Syara, he signed these documents," she began, and started reading off the document. "'I, James Simon Rutherford, in the event of my death, relinquish all responsibilities and authority to my second in command and leader of the elite squad, Marigold Vincent Valentine (DOES ANYONE GET THE REFERENCE?!). He/She/They are fully prepared to accept my post at anytime, during any circumstance. In the event that I am wed, Marigold would be put in charge, with someone of their choice...' Yadda yadda yadda, okay ya'll get the big picture, right?" She looked up, obviously bored of the proceedings. "I'm in charge now, since this big oaf," she kicked James , "Is good and dead by now," She glared at everyone, myself included,just daring someone to disagree.

I myself was very curious about this 'Marigold Valentine '. She waited a moment longer, so I took this chance to assess her.

She was short. About 5 foot 2. But she commanded a presence in the room. Strong shoulders, good posture, a holster on her right hip, light tan, and it seemed she was wearing contacts. The light hit them so I could see a slight different color underneath the contacts. And even if I only saw one, it had been bright pink. I leaned forward, both bored by the current proceedings and intrigued by the character in front of me. 

She smiled lightly at us, gesturing at the doors. "Well? Let's celebrate!" She cheered , once again a cheerful young lady. She rushed to the doors, throwing them open, and revealed the large hall and the band sat there confused for a moment, before quickly playing a spunky tune. 

I stood slowly as everyone else made their way to the door, revealing a reception that had been prepared. Many people avoided crossing paths with Marigold, so I took that moment to bring Paul and Patryk to meet her.

We "Ahem," I cleared my throat as I approached. She snapped to attention, eyes narrowing as she saw me. She quickly regained her posture, retrieving a small drink from the table, but otherwise calm.

" Red Leader, I assume? " she said in a manner tgat sounded like a statement, but had been phrased like a question. I looked down at her. She was really short in comparison to me. As it turned out-

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm really short compared to your six feet, right?" She spoke suddenly , interrupting my thoughts, but completing them at the same time. She laughed mirthlessly. It was cold to the ears, and she motioned to a quiet balcony some yards away. "Let's have a chat, shall we?" 

" Yes, let's, " I replyed, moving towards the table.

~~Meanwhile~~

Tom's pov;

I sat there with Jax and Juliana on either of my sides, hands clutching my heart, and curled forward.

The bed was comfortable to say the least, but this pain was like my heart wanted to pull me somewhere. and then, Juliana finally broke the silence.

"Thomas? Tom?" she said softly as she rubbed her back. I looked at her. By now, I'd take a hangover over this any day. "Yeah?" I croaked. It felt like years since I had spoke, when in reality, it had only been hours.

She pursed her lips. Thinking, before glancing at Jax to continue. "We have an idea of what could help you, and it's pretty safe," she paused. " I am pretty sure that you're suffering from soulmate proximity disorder. We have some light medicine that helps with it, though it makes you pretty tired for like....an hour, "

I looked at her. I didn't want this Soulmate bullshit, especially when it was connected to the commie.

"I'll try it,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School and life SUCK


	16. Not a chapter but still

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .....

SO.  
Nobody seemed to get the FFVII reference I made.  
Where did ffvii fans goooooooooo  
Its soooooo gooooooood  
There's a part where you have to crossdress!  
There is a kickboxer lady with huge breasts!  
There is a ninja teenage thief!  
There is a robo cat!  
There is an actual cat!  
There i gravity defying hair!  
There is a great story!  
WHAT IS NOT TO LOVE AND REMEMBER  
SOMEONE ASKED IF IT WASA FNAF REFERENCE  
I AM SO DISAPPOINTED  
SO  
THE NEXT COUPLE CHAPTERS  
WILL BE ANGSTY AS FUCK  
WHY?  
PUNISHMENT  
EDD WILL BE IN PAIN.  
MATT WIOLBE IN PAIN.  
FLASHBACKS.  
SAD BACKSTORY  
BETRAYAL.  
ONE SIDED TWINCEST.  
MISUNDERSTANDINGS.  
All of THIS.  
WILL BE THERE.  
I have ONIONS   
I HAVE LEMONS   
I will POUR THEM INTO YOUR EYEBALLS.  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so disappointed


	17. Chapter 13:Choices, Medicine, and Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short chappy, sorry!

3rd person pov:

Tom's reply rang through the room. Silence was the only thing you could hear. Nobody moved, as Tom met Juliana's eyes, expression hard as stone and mind set on his choice.

A moment passed until Juliana nodded slightly, and Jax got up, and the bed made a creaking sound as some weight was removed. Jax opened her small satchel that she had brought with her, bringing out a small pill bottle and pad of forms with a pen.

she tore off one of the forms from the pad, having scribbled down Tom's name and signed it, before handing the bottle to Tom. She turned on her heel quickly and went to fill a glass of water, while Juliana went over the prescription.

\--meanwhile --

Edd's Pov (Yes, the cola bean, AT LAST)

I just layed on the floor, trembling, my cola knocked over and spilled on the floor.

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes at the spilt cola and the unbearable pain. I bit my lip to stop from crying out.

I was alone, and I suddenly felt so alone. On my hand, the burning sensation still hadn't gone away, and I had a feeling that whoever my soulmate was, they had a very low pain tolerance. I waited a few minutes more for the pain to go away, trembling. But it didn't.

It only got worse.

I whimpered in pain as I tried not to scream, as I curled farther into a ball. I blinked away my tears and slowly raise my hand,looking at it.

Blink

Blink.

Blink.

Yep.

Still there.

I have a soulmate.

I smiled, I had to, really. I had waited so long, and now, of all times, during a war, I get the mark?! Terrific timing, really. Just wonderful.

~~~

Meanwhile, with matt ;o;

~~~

Matt's pov

I was surrounded by my fellow communications officers as I cried my eyes out. I can't remember their names...But I'm glad they're here.

I may seem ditzy, I guess I am, but everyone here always seems to want to help me.

I'm really happy right now, even if I'm in total agony.

When this pain goes away, I have a pen ready so I can learn ALL about my soulmate. Maybe we'll meet soon? After all, we will win this war.

i smiled, the pain fading to a dull throb as my sobs died down to a quiet whimper.

I picked up the pen, sitting up and wiping the tears from my eyes.

I smiled, a newfound courage in my chest.

I have to tell edd ASAP!

Until then, Imma talk to my one true love.

and then, I clicked the pen, and began to scribble on my arm.

~TBC~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry it's short. I cries too much as I wrote this.


	18. Chapter 14: Lies, Secrets,.and Plausible Alibis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Filler

Tord's Pov:

We approached a small table nearby to a door that lead to a balcony in large steps. Marigold, though she had short legs, had a wide stride so we approached quickly. Marigold then rushed ahead all of a sudden, opening the door and going to the railing. I was confused at the sudden action so I quickly caught up, with Paul and Patryk on my heels, and as we crossed the threshold of the doorway, Marigold suddenly thrust her hand out, and caught a falling figure. Leaning forward, she held them away from the railing, foot tapping in impatience.

"M-M-Mari!" They stuttered out. "I swear I wasn't trying to leave! I just," 

" Shut up, " marigold snapped, glaring. "I already know you're the traitor, and there's some people down there ready to detain you. I just thought I would let you know you'll be in for a lot of pain," and she looked down before dropping him.

A.scream ripped from his throat as he fell, and Patryk muttered behind me "Sure doesn't mess around, does she?"

Mari turned.back around, dusting her hands off, smiling at us, eyes closed in what seemed like contemplation.q

all of a sudden, she stepped forward and passed me, eyes open and a small smile still present on her face. 

Clack.

Her left foot landed.in the hall. "Well?" She asked.

I turned around, glaring at her. Her antics were confusing, and i was getting annoyed. "Well what?" I growled, my accent unfortunately thick at that moment.

"she met my eyes, smile never once faltering. "Weren't you going to ask me some questions? Like oh i don't know..." She tapped her chin in mock thought . "The whereabouts of a certain eyeless man? A certain SOULMATE of a certain someone?" Her smile suddenly didn't seem as sweet. It seemed like a grin, like that cat from that one trippy kids movie, Annie? Alice? In magical land or something?

I straightened, eyes sharp and now fully aware of what this girl could.possibly know. She only looked about 19, so as a 24 year old !an who towers above her, I shouldn't feel so gaurded, right? I grit my teeth, thinking about what she'd said. She new about Tom. How? "What do you know..." I growled .

she pulled a chair out.for.herself, gesturing to the chair across from her. "Sit down, then maybe I'll tell you, " she said, leaning back, seemingly amused by my reaction.

I sat down, and glared. "Talk," I snappe d.

She leaned back, with a shit eating grin. I thought only I could pull it off well enough to piss someone off just by smiling. "Now now now," she wagged her finger, "Who ever said that I would have any answers?"

I shrugged, struggling to keep my cool. "Nobody," I said. " But, I should always ask when there is a possibility, no? " I practically purred.

"True true," mari shrugged leaning back and looking me over. "Well, if you wanna know, he got in some big trouble once you guys were revealed to be soulmates," she paused, taking a quiet sip of her water that had been brought to her. "He got detained by the very people he had signed to die for, and tortured. and he did absolutely nothing," her eyes narrowed . "And before you ask, to the extent of my knowledge, he's still in detainment "she continued, expressing a severe dislike for speaking with me.

But before I could retort, a shot rang out, and someone crumpled to the floor.

the crowd seemed to part, revealing a large burly man holding a shotgun in his hands, a manic look in his eyes. "Where's the little bitch that killed my best friend?!" He shouted. Mari stood up, pulling a pistol from that small holster on her hip. She smirked, cocked the gun, aimed, and squeezed.

Bang.

"Right here bitch. Should've turned around," she replied. I

Honestly, when I had first seen this girl, I thought she was some kind of lolita, but now? She's just like me. Murderous. And honestly, it's pretty interesting. I smirk.

"Paul, Pat....I think this will be an interesting organization to have on our side," i muttered to my two compatriots.

They nodded out the corner of my eye. "We'll see what we can do sir," they both replied.

I nodded. "See to it that you do," They were cleaning up the blood from the corpse and were carting away the man's body. When the clean up crew left, Mari clapped once, and the music started up once more.

And as my eyes followed Mari, I saw her slip out the room into a hallway.

Mari's Pov:

I slipped out into the hallway, quietly closing the door with a click. Glancing both the ways, I slunk towards the room Thomas was stayin g in.

Hopefully, I would have a better time there than at the party.

~TBC~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw, im super happy irl.  
> Have a good day


	19. Chapter 15: Memories are Here to Grieve, News Arrives, The Truth Is In Order

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well.....More filler and build up! I know where Im goimg, just not how Im gonna get there. Sorry this is late!

Tom's Pov:

I completely ignored Julia's words, grabbing the pills and throwing my head back as I swallowed them, taking a swig of water.

I would've preferred smirnoff, but hey, I'll do with what I can get. I gave a small glare at both ladies as I thought about the lack of acohol. "Hey, there's a party, right? Why doesn't one of-"

Slam!

There I saw Mari, standing in the door, wearing short shorts, a blouse that didn't cover the shoulders at all, and also showed some tank top straps (Very different from earlier.) Looking like he was done with this world, and someone crumpled on the floor behind them. I couldn't tell who it was, as Mari stood right in front of them.

"Mari?!" Both girls stood in surprise . "Why aren't you at the party?!" Julia exclaimed .

Mari shrugged. "Who said the real me ever went and actually did the dirty work?" He smiled. He waved his hand sassily. " Puh-LEEZE, you girls KNOW how long it takes me to get my nails done! SO, knowing that I'd be getting a mani pedi today, I may or may not have just done nothing else, like kidnap, " he paused, and looked at me. "Tim? Tam? Tom. Tom here," he said gesturing at me, "Or murder James! Though I did still completely orchestrate James' murder and watched it play out. I even recorded it..." He sighed happily. " Anyway! " he perked back to attention, confusing all of us.

"What is it Mari?" Julia asked, making a duck expression . Mari grinned, "Oh, just wanted input on a next step. I just wanna cause a lil...ruckus, know what i mean?" He laughed, tossing the thing behind him in the room and onto the floor in front of my feet as he stepped in and closed the door.

We looked down,my 'eyes' turned white and my jaw dropped.

There, bound and gagged, was the Mari I recognized and knew from earlier. "Ey, Clone," Mari growled. "Can it," he looked back at us. "Soooo.....The army COULD theoretically get here in 30 minutes, if I decided to lure them in to crash a party, massacre them, then laugh my ass off, or I could let that game happen. Or I could just dispose of this idiot," he kicked the Mari on the floor. 

" Mari....You never told us you actually perfected the-"

"I didn't," Mari snapped. " This isn't perfection, it's close,but not quite, " he murmured. He shrugged after a moment. "I guess I'll just drop her into the handy dandy chute under the window in this room, and play a game with the guests. Tom, you and I will actually be watching. I'd like to talk to you. Don't give me that worried face! " he reached out and pinched my cheek with a manicured hand.

I pulled back swatting his hand away, glancing at the Mari I knew crumpled on the floor.

I grit my teeth, feeling a headache coming on.

God damn I need a drink.

" So, whatcha want to talk about? " I ask, glaring at Marigold.

Marigold shrugged, picking up the now unconscious Mari from the ground and walking to the door. "Stuff. mainly opinions, I suppose," and walked to the door. "Let's go, I gotta go get rid of this little mistake," I frowned, but when they turned their head away, I thought I saw a small tear welling up in their eye.

~~time skip to after the disposal ~~

We sat on a large balcony overlooking the entire base, Marigold drinking wine, and me, with a bottle of Smirnoff. So far, we hadn't said much, just chat about what got us into the war. Apparently, he's just a mercenary who isn't actually involved. So, I was getting to know him pretty well. and our conversation was pretty okay, until I opened my fat mouth and opened a huge can of worms along with it;

"Hey, Mari," I said looking off into space, my speech slightly slurred from lack of sleep and alcohol.

"Hmm?" He acknowledged me, glancing back at me. "What?" 

" Do you have a soul mate? " I asked, thinking it would be a simple yes or no. From what I saw, I thought that Mari just was a rebel to Monogamy, but hey. Gotta ask to know for sure, right?

I expected a simple answer, but what I got instead was a harsh cold laugh, and Mari shook his head, taking down his hair so it cascaded down his back. "Hah! I wish I didn't," a cold smile playing on his lips as he swirled his wine.

I took another sip, curious. " You wish? "

Mari frowned, eyes quickly fading to a more dull green and magenta. "Yeah....Life seems to hate me when it comes to that," taking a large sip of his drink, almost finishing it. Noting his glass was almost empty he refilled it once more from the bottle on the table.

" Mind telling me who it is? " I ask in a moment of drunken brilliance, though to my surprise, Mari says yes. "I guess it wouldn't hurt..." He looked back at me. "My soulmate is my biological twin sister. Though....We're Irish Twins, with me being the younger, as much as I hate to admit it," as he said it, he got quieter and quieter, but I heard him nonetheless.

I let out a low whistle. "Ouch. And I'm supposed to be fated to my worst enemy. How are you handling the "falling in love" thing? " I asked, genuinely curious. It's clear he suffered from none of the proximity disorders some people go through, so did he just accept that or?

Mari shook his head, pulling me back to our conversation.

And what he said nexr both gave me hope, and crushed that hope for a permanent solution.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaaaah soooooooon you all shall know....


	20. Chapter 16:Reality Of The Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ooooof

Tom's pov:

Mari just smiled sadly at me. "Remember those pills you took?" He asked . I nodded, a vague memory of taking q pill for relief. "Well, those are specifically for Extended Soulmate Absence Disorder, ESAD for short. It triggers your brain to produce Anthromorphinal, chemicals that make you feel.......complete, I guess. The way most people feel with their soulmate, " he paused frowning. "Are you even paying attention?" 

my mind wasn't very fuzzy anymore, and with how much I've drunk tonight, I can guarantee that I'll remember this. However bad at science I may be. "Yeah," I say, the air suddenly much cooler than before. "I'm listening,"

He nodded, before continuing. "Anyway, the meds you took basically mimic that feeling and help for coping. You're probably feeling the affects more because you're emotionally constipated, no offense," I opened my mouth to reply, but he put up a hand first. "Let me continue, before you feel completely singled out here," he took a sip of his wine. " Drunks, drug addicts, or people who have a hard time coping with or keeping their emotions in check often suffer from more severe side affects due to distance sometime after they get their soulmark. People who are more in control of themselves usually just suffer from light nausea, or slight dizzy spells, if anything at all. I myself don't really get them anymore, for....reasons. But you aren't the worst case I've seen, " He leaned back, making it clear he was open to any questions. In fact, he looked expectant, and had this 'Come at me bro' expeession on his face.

"How come I've never seen this kind of medicine on the market before? " I asked. Something that helpful should be readily available. Especially since I hate that devil horned commie to death.

Mari smiled. "Because this is all my private research. Doctors wouldn't take me too seriously if I just came out of nowhere shouting 'I got something! Hey! Lookie here! ' with my 8 years of research, would they? So after the war, I'll likely come out to the public with my research on soulmates and patent it, but that's getting off topuc, isn't it?" He rambled, somehow not running out of breath.

" You're a scientist? " i asked. He didn't seem like the science kind of guy. I thought he was a complete drag queen. Lifting my bottle to my lips once more,tipping the liquid down my throat once more.

mari nodded. "heh, yep! Anyway, I've been doing private research for the past 8 years, with minimal casualties and setbacks, " 

"You seem pretty proud of that," I mumble. "Also...What did you mean by 'you used to get ESAD'? How come you don't anymore?" 

" do you want the long sciencey explanation, or the short less sciencey explanation? " he deadpanned, twirling a lock of his hair around his hand.

"Short. You tend to ramble," I answered .

"Well....Your brain makes a chemical that only gets produced around your soulmate. I still haven't pinpointed the exact reason for it, it just happens. It's kind of like a stronger endorphin, but only they can get you to make it. I experimented on myself, and well....Broke the part of my brain that could produce it. I found that permanently stopping it could likely kill someone in the process, and it's extremely painful. So I made a safer more reliable way to suppress the production of said chemical and now I don't suffer the side affects. Heh, lucky me?" He nervously rubbed the back of his hand.

"Why can't you find a permanent solution?" I pressed . Determined to know. My gaze locked on him, my 'eyes' narrowed as I practically interrogated him.

"I did,"

" then WHY --"

"The treatment is so painful and inhumane to the point where it wouldn't be treatment anymore. Because of that, I almost went crazy. And the chemical treatment, no matter what, would deteriorate the human body to the point the person would be dead after only 3 doses. The pills are even worse, as they're really addictive and it's easy to overdose on them. All but 3 of my 200 volunteers died, and the three that lived? They practically became rabid animals, and had to be put into solitary confinement. In the end, I was the only survivor. Everyone who was on my research team for that experiment either killed themselves, or were never the same afterwards. I was the one who did the autopsies....and I...... " 

"And? " I asked, out of habit. Not thinking. I didn't want to know, but in some morbid way, I did.

"They didn't have any organs. They were just...Mush. The 3 that did had such frail bones, and it took 4 weeks just to wait for them to break rigor. All of them barely had a brain, and they're blood was almost gelatinous for most of them. I did tests afterwards, but....all my results came back negative. I don't think I can make a safe, effective treatment. I just can't. Too many of my own friends trusted me, and died in that experiment,"

" Then how come you lived? " I asked.

"A mix of extremely unsafe surgery and trauma," he mumbled, hunched forward. "I only had a 3% chance if coming out fine. I didn't. Really, I didn't,"

SLAM!

I stood suddenly .

"THEN TRY IT ON ME! " I shouted, not caring who heard me. There was something he wasn't telling me. What was it?! "TELL ME!"

"Thomas.... " I heard a soft voice mumble. He looked up at me. "I don't know the procedure they used, and after the surgery, I couldn't walk or speak for a year..."

" THEN GET THE PROCEDURE!! " I shouted.

He shook his head. "Thomas, I only survived because of my older brother. I'm living on borrowed time," he tapped his chest. "In the middle of surgery, I went into cardiac arrest. My brother had the same blood type as me, and donated his heart so I could live. Not everyone is that nive, "( DOES ANYONE GET THE REFERENCE) he smiled sadly. "That surgery can kill you. I was just lucky,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOOOOF
> 
> BACKSTORY,
> 
> TRUTHS
> 
> WORLDBUILDING
> 
> DAMN
> 
> TWO CHAPTERS WITHIN A DAY OF EACHOTHER?!
> 
> WHAT
> 
> ANYWAY
> 
> COMMENT HOW YOU THINK TOM SHOULD REACT,
> 
> OR SOMETHING.
> 
> TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK.
> 
> ALSO, WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT REFERENCE WAS
> 
> "I'm living on borrowed time'
> 
> OOF
> 
> ANYWAY
> 
> THIS 'WEDDING ARC' WILL END SOON, AND WE SHALL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
> 
> IM EXCITED.
> 
> HAPPY HOLDAYS KIDS
> 
> AAAAAAAACK
> 
> I DID IT
> 
> GOOD FOR ME.
> 
>  
> 
> Okay, so, really, this is A SLOW BUILDING STORY,  
> And I JUST GOT MY GROOVE BACK  
> YUS  
> SEE YOU ALL SOON


	21. Chapter 17: Truths Overheard, Reality, Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oooofffff  
> School is boring  
> Math is killing me with hw and boredom  
> Ugh. Anyway,  
> This is getting close to the end of a filler arc.  
> Woo!

3rd pov:

Tom's body shook.

He trembled.

Not in fear, but in frustration.

All his life, he had thought he'd have a nice normal soulmate, or just be one of the few that didn't have one.

But then, in only a few days, he found he did have one.

And he was suffering as a result.

And his friends likely would as well.

He was seething, breathing through gritted teeth, tears welling and threatening to fall. And then, like a corpse breaking rigor, he crumpled to the ground, falling to his knees, with his hands still gripping the table. His eyes glowed a dim purple, and his tears fell. "Why?" He choked out.

Across from him, Mari still sat, unmoving. His eyes were sad, and to anyone else, he would look to be a young woman. But, he only sat there, a sad smile on his lips, hair down and soft, but sad none the less.

A moment passed, with Tom trying hard not to sob, and Mari struggling to not cry, before Mari stood and knelt beside Tom, considerably smaller than him, yet commanding more of a presence than anyone could in that moment.

Time passed slowly as Tom cried into Mari's shoulder, as he rubbed soothing circles into his back. Trying not to cry as well, and be strong for the both of them.

However, their conversation wasn't completely quiet, and Thomas' shouts had garnered attention from a very specific set of ears.

Below, at the party, sneaking a cigarette on the balcony, there stood a man. His hair was shaped into two horns, one hand clearly prosthetic,and the right side of his face scarred. He wore blue, and had been looking at the stars, until he heard a familiar voice shout.

"THEN TRY IT ON ME!"

His eyes widened in realization. That voice! It couldn't -

"TELL ME!"

His looked around, trying to pinpoint the direction the ruckus had come from. He wasn't entirely stupid, and had seen Mari leave the party only 45 minutes ago.

The voice was quiet, before shouting one final sentence;

"THEN GET THE PROCEDURE!"

Tord's Pov:

That voice....Marigold lied. Convincingly, but she managed to fool me. I know that voice anywhere. 

My heart clenched slightly, I gripped mt coat above my heart, trying to subdue the ache.

Thomas, Tom......you're here? Why aren't you trying to kill me? Procedure? For what? I've heard that for the right price, this place will get you whatever information you need...I'll ask Marigold at our meeting tomorrow. That's for sure.

I took another drag of my ciggarette, long, and unfulfilling. I'd run out of cigars, so I had to resort to smoking cigarettes once more.

A few minutes passed, and I heard no more shouts from Tom. I glanced around. Did anyone else hear?

'no' I concluded. Nobody seemed to care to investigate the shouts about a procedure. Which led me to wonder; 

'What kind of procedure could they have been talking about? I was 94% sure Thomas had been with Marigold, so what had they spoke about?

I continued to ponder this well into the night, until I was escorted to the room I would be staying in.

~~TIME SKIP~~

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

SLAM

God, I hate alarms. I glanced at the time. 6Am. Thursday. Wonderful. Time to go shower. 

i carefully sat up, glad for such a sturdy prosthetic. I smiled. It was waterproof, and still extremely shiny, so I don't feel the need to remove it today.

Slowly, I peeled the sheets from my sweaty legs and padded over to the bathroom. Upon opening the door, I noticed a little note that said 'Hello! Please come see us in the nursery courtyard at 8am! We checked, your meeting isn't until later. Feel free to bring gaurds, we await your presence! Ps, PLEASE PLEASE PLEAS E DON'T TELL MARI THEY'LL SKIN US ALIVE.'

Nursery? Information? What?

I scoffed, pushing the note aside, stripping, and getting into the shower.

Fooooooooosh.

I flinched at the sudden onslaught of water, even though I had seen it coming, and completely expected it.

i stood there, basking in the warmth, before finally washing my hair, massaging my scalp adeptly.

I smirked.

Maybe one day....

NO.

NONONO.

DOUBLE TRIPLE NO.

You are NOT.....

Wait.

Too late.

Fuck.

~~~~Time skip~~~~

3rd pov:

The courtyard was mostly empty, save for the two ladies and man lounging on the hill. The man knit an extremely long scarf, while the two ladies played a game of chess. Not much was said, until they were aproached by another 3 men.

Tord, Pat, and Pau all walked over, wearing more casual uniforms than the previous night, suspicious of the three lounging about. One of the two chess players, not looking away, gestured at the grass next to the m.

"Well? Wanna chat? Or no?"

Tord sat down crosslegged, leaning back, scanning the area, before deciding he was likely safe. "I overheard someone shout about a procedure that they couldn't get. What was that about? "

The other woman piped up. "Hey, shouldn't we get -" 

" No, " the other woman interrupted. "Mari said it was okay to answer his questions, and he can't limit what we say -"

" But our collars-"

"He wears one too, remember? We were all involved in the incident. You know what the collars for. "White

" But still"

"Mari hates to lie about things like that. You know that..."

The man glared at the other two, before answering Tord's question. "YEah, that was probably the soulmate procedure,"

Tord looked interested . "What?"

" Mari's been doing private research on soulmates for years. The procedure almost killed him, but in the end worked, and made it so he can't love his soulmate, yadda yadda yadda, and he decided that it was safer to make a suppressant instead, "

"How would one gain..." He paused a moment, and waved his hand for a moment. " Access, to that research? "

"The man shrugged. It's kinda hard, but most if the time, you have to sign a lot of paperwork, and invest a little bit into research, but the quickest way is to play one of his...." He shivered. " Games, with him, "

"games?" Tord pushed.

"Mari likes to play," the man repkiedt, quickly standing. " Ladies! I do believe we have to go? " he turned back to Tord. "Sorry, but we have to cut this short," he fished a small black tablet from his pocket, handing it to Tord. "Here, if you get lost, use this. You pretty much have free reign of the facility, later!"

And they skipped away, leaving three confused people.

"Boss," Pat said.

"Hmm? " Tord replied.

" Did they say soulmate research? "

Tord grinned. "Why yes, yes they did. And I'd like to get my hands on that research,"

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah. And now begins the part focusing on Tord and his thoughts. I was thinking about asking for some help, like proof reading. I realize that I've gotten out of touch with how certain characters act. Some advice?


	22. Chapter 18: Prescription Pills and Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay. This boring filler arc is SO CLOSE to being done, I can ALMOST TASTE IT
> 
>  
> 
> RELEASE YOUR INHIBITIONS   
> FEEL THE RAIN ON YOUR skin
> 
>  
> 
> Yep.

Honestly, I felt like I was falling back in that pit.

The one everyone knows about, but don't understand, even if they've been there?

You feel like you're falling, and there's nothing to break your fall, and then in order to brush your thoughts away, you drink, but when you drink it feels like you're drowning. And then breathing starts to hurt, because air feels like acid and stings your throat, and swallowing makes you feel like your throat may tear any minute. And then the hope of it all being over, of possibly crawling out of that pit, gets snatched, and you're shoved back down, and you're falling again, spiraling down down down, until you're no more.

It hurts.

But a lot of the time, you don't show your agony on the outside, and people don't look you in the eyes so then they can't see what's going on and you're alone.

But I don't think I was falling again.

This was different.

Somehow.

I didn't feel the need to drink, and that feeling of being lost was practically absent.

i felt.....Shattered? No....I felt crushed.

Like the cola cans edd loves so much.

Mari mentioned the possibility of possibly destroying my connection to my urgh. To Tord. The one we can't help but have, and that hope is crushed, at least as a permanent solution. 

Right now, I'm sitting on an examination table, waiting for Mari to return. He said something about resupplying that specific room's supply of paper clips and pens.

That had been two minutes ago.

And now, I could hear him returning.

Shoooook. The door slid open. There was mari, a box if paper clips and pens in his hand, which he stood on a stool to put away.

As he stood, I realized how short he was. Even I could reach that shelf. He's like 5 foot 3 or something. It's kinda funny.

"Hey Tom," mari huffs as he hops back down to the ground. " you ready for your check up? " he asked as he picked up his clipboard and a pen. "YEs? ALright. First question. Full name? Age? Height? birthdate?"

He asked for basic information? Like a real doctor? "Uh....Thomas William Skadroff, two fs. I am age 24, 5 foot 8, and I was born November 16th, 1998," I answer. "Are you an actual doctor? I noticed some photos on the desk....so...."

" hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm a certified doctor. More specifically, I have credentials to either be a dentist or a trauma surgeon, but.... " he trailed off, scribbling down some things. "Blood Type? Any preexisting medical conditions I should note? Weight?"

" Uh....A positive, not really, and uh......last I checked, 146 lbs? " I answer.

"Alright. So....I'm gonna do a routine check up, see if you can actually take the medicine, prescribe said medicine, and then go to a meeting after dropping you off at your room. Okay? okay. Let's go!"

~ one normal check up and prescription later....

I laid on my bed, alone, thinking over the prescription I had just been given.

The pills were on the bedside table, untouched so far.

mari said these pills were relatively safe, but if you go overboard on them, you can overdose, and gave me a perscription chart and one of those things where you put yo ur pills for every day in a different section.....For like....old people?

'Anyway,' I sigh, 'I could only guess who mari is meeting with.' I frown. What could he possibly want?

\--MEanwhile--

I stepped into the office, Pat and Pau at each of my sides, and glanced around. It was sizable, and really the only thing that was flashy was this little bookshelf to the left of the window;

It was short, the books organized by color and height. In fact, they made a rainbow. But on top of the shelf, there were some photos. From where we stood, it was impossible to say who exactly was in the photos, and the one photo laying face down intrigued me.

"Well? What are you three waiting for?" We suddenly heard a voice. I glance around, searching for the source. Finally, in the doorway that came off the room, there was Mari, holding a clipboard, looking over whatever was on it. "Sit down, sit down. Sorry I'm not as organized as I should be," she apologized. ALSO, she looked significantly less....Busty. That was for sure. She opened a drawer in a filing cabinet looking for a moment before pulling out several forms and closing it.

"Ah, it's fine," I muttered , waving her apologies off. She sat down, and placed the contracts and forms down in between us. "Actually, I ah....heard you like to....play?" I said leaning to the left, elbow on the armrest and head in my hand.

She paused, eyebrows raised. "Play? What are you wanting access to? " she smiled, eyes closed as she leaned forward with her head in her hands, a playful smile on her face.

"What?" I asked. Accsss? How'd she know?

"Would I be correct in assuming you met with a trio of my friends this morning? Two women, one man? They're usually the ones who drop the hint about my games,"

" Yes, that would be correct... "

She stared at me for a moment, before her smile grew into a grin. "Oh....I see alright....." She muttered pushing back a little and unlocking one of the desk drawers.I

"What?" I asked. I hadn't even said a thing. The tip of my tongue poking at my canine, sliding over to the other. God I needed a smoke.

"This is just a wild guess, but I assume you want access to my private research on soul mates, right? "

"Yes...how did you..?" I began.

"Sir, virkelig. Nesten alle som hører om min forskning, prøver å få tak i det. De spør aldri bare riktig. Du gjorde," ® She giggled, pulling out yet another form.

"D-du ... du snakker morsmålet mitt ?!" I said, flabbergasted . But god, it felt good to speak Norwegian again.

She lAughed. "Ha ha! Selvfølgelig! Jeg snakker om 5 store språk, pluss et par jeg lærte bare fra å måtte bo der i lang tid. Jeg får kunder fra hele, og du kan ikke akkurat ... stole på .... den midtre mannen, " she smiled.

Well. That 's interesting. I guess translators are a hassle, aren't they? I clear my throat. "So," I inwardly cringe at my accent . Ugh. When I switch between the two, I get so...frazzled. "You want to play a game?"

She smiled. " It's not as much a game, as it is....fun...what's the word....disposal? You have to do it every now and then, once you've pin pointed the weak links, "

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do the translations yourself. Im lazy.


	23. Chapter 19: Meeting with a disabled minor, possible communication?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oooof  
> Will update soon.  
> Tests are killing me

10 minutes earlier:

Beep

Beeeep

Beep beep

Beeeep

Beep beep

The bedside monitor beeped rhythmically as the girl it was hooked onto it slept.

She was small, barely alive. But that would soon change, with the guest she was soon expecting.

Elsewhere in the complex, however, about 7 minutes away, was a young man, following the directions he had just 'heard' only a moment prior, and following the calling if his name down the halls.

STrange, no? He was following voices?

Well, he's survived several zombie apocalypses, seen magic in action, and been to hell. So this wasn't entirely crazy to him. And besides, he couldn't quite shake the feeling that whoever he was about to meet would be very important. Besides, he could actually get up and move, so why not follow this mysterious voice that suddenly began projecting itself into my head and said it's name was Delphi?

He approached a light blue door, and reached to open it. HOwever, as soon as his hand touched it, it slid open, revealing a bright room with lace curtains over the windows, and surrounding a large part of the room.

"Hello?" He called out. He was sure he was in the right place.

" Yeah....come here, I can't get to you, " A small voice peeped from behind the curtain. "Go ahead and pull back the curtain. I've been waiting,"

He walked over, pulling back the curtain , only to be greeted by a small girl in the hospital bed before him.

she was frail, an albino from the looks of it, with her white hair. Her head was turned away from Tom, and Tom sat down.

They waited for a moment, before she turned towards him, smiling. The left side of her face is heavily scarred and one eye looks mostly blind, seeming light pink compared to the vivid red of her right eye. "Hi Tom, I'm Delphi. Short for Delphinium, like...the flower," she said softly.

He just stared for a moment, in awe that this child had endured so much, yet still smiled.

"Tom? "

Tom's pov:

I just stared at this kid. In a way, she reminded me of commie. Scarred on one side. But she seemed much more....what's the word.....content. Sad, but not angry.

She looks a lot like Mari....Are they related?

"Tom?" Delphi waved her hand in front of me, snapping me from my thoughts. 

"Oh, yeah?" I said , smiling.

"Do you know why you're here?" Delphi asked. I shook my head . She sighed. "Didn't think so. Mari's so bad about telling people to come to me sometimes...."

" Is Mari your sibling? " I asked.

She beamed at me. "Yep! Best big brother.....EVER!"

I smiled. How sweet. "So,why you down here?" I asked , attempting to break the ice a bit.

Her smile faltered. "I can't walk, so big brother's kept me down here for the past month. He's trying to help me regain movement in my legs. So far, it hasn't really worked," she smiled sadly. " but that's not why we're here. Look, you're soulmate is that 'Red Leader' guy, right?" She put air quotes when she said 'Red Leader', how cute. I nod, smiling at her antics. "Okay, so." She paused. "How much do you hate him?"

I groan. That's an easy question to answer. "I hate his guts. Wish he'd died when I shot him down with a harpoon,"

She giggled. "Heh, okay.....What do you know 'bout monster dna?" 

I paused. What?

"Not !uch, huh?"

I shake my head.

She raises her arm, and the hairs on her arm begin to change and grow, quickly becoming a thick coat of dark grey fur. Her fingers morph into claws and she clenches her teeth as this 'transformation ' of sorts finishes. She shows me; Has this ever happened to you in any way shape or form? " she asked.

I take a moment,before it comes back to me..

~~~FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAASHBAAAAAAAAAAAACK~~~

I lay on the ground, trembling, in pain.

my screams of agony never leave my throat as I twitch on the ground. My hands twitch, My eyes don't focus, my vision is getting spotty.

my ears hurt, everything is too loud, I'm alone, and I 'm laying in a pool of my own blood, so close to tears.

My arms are ripped to shreds, broken by the sudden expansion and change in shape. But they quickly mend themselves and start growing back together, and my arm hairs start growing into thick 'pelt'. 

My legs begin the process that my arms are finishing, my back snaps, and mends back together.

I feel myself growing taller, my eyesight concentrating into one field of vision, and my consciousness fading with every passing second.

this isn't the first time.f

but it's the first I remember.

~flashback end'

"Yes..." I croak, mesmerized by her arm.

she frowns. "Thought so. Anyway, you wanna smuggle a message outta here?" 

I reel back. "Wait what?!"

" Shh! Not so loud! You heard me, right? I can belp you smuggle messages out of here! " she whisper shouts, clutching my sleeve.

i nod, still processing what she said. "You can get me out of here?"

She shook her head. " No, but I can send a message to any friends you may have elsewhere, " she admitted.

"How can I trust you?" i asked.

" You just have to, " she saidsk

i nodded.

I glanced around quickly, before focusing on her. "How soon can you get a message out of here?" I asked. " Depends on what it is, " she replied.

And then, she smiled.

"But if you gave me the message now, it could get there as soon as within 4 days,"

And that, gave me real hope. She was confident .

so I think I'll trust her.

"So, why are we down here?" I hear a faint but familiar voice say. I freeze, and quickly find a hiding spot.

The steps get closer, amd then the door opens. "Well, I n then wanted to visit someone, and it 's on the way. Hi Delphi!" I hear Mari chirp to Delphi.

" We're here to see a little kid? " I hear a thick drawling accent say to Mari.

Oh shit.

i peek through the crack at the doorway.

double shit.

There, standing in his uniform, was the communist.

I am so fucked.

"Hi Mari! " Delphi replies.

Thank god. I hopE she won't say a thing.

"I just had a guest, you know, " she stated.

SHit.

WElp, better say my prayers in my head now, or die before I ever can.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahaha  
> Smuggler delphi.  
> Also, see what im doing with all my characters?  
> Is it relevant!  
> Please post critiscism! i can take it! Im a big kid XD


	24. Chapter 20: Closet Case Much? no, I'm serious.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ooooooh  
> Two updates?!  
> Whaaa

Tom's pov:

And there I was.

Stuck.

In a closet.

Resisting the disgusting urge to go up and hug that communist.

And never let go.

Why now?!

I mentally face palmed as I listened to the conversation.

"Oh really? Who?" Mari asked.

"Someone. He was taller than you, that's for sure!" Delphi chirped.

mari chuckled. "Most people are, dear," i looked at them. Mari was leaning on a wall. For a moment, I thought we met eyes, but I think i was mistaken.

 

after all, my eyes look like a void.

I continued to listen.

"What did he look like, Delphi?" Mari asked. I crossed my fingers, hoping she wouldn't say anything.

"Um....he was....a brunette......spiky hair. Reminded me of a pineapple.....looked like he was on your medication, " fuck. My. Life.

Mari's eyes widened for a moment. Before smirking.

Now I knew for sure that we locked gazes.

Oh shit.

"Pineapple? Did he happen to have no eyes?" I noticed commie step out from behind mari. It was honestly pretty funny at how short mari was comparatively.

I stifled a laugh, looking at the scene before me.

"Wouldn't you like to know. What, you think I met with that---" Delphi began.

"Anyway! Delphi, sweetheart,would you mind handing me the key? " mari quickly interrupted i glanced at the doors and realized if i leaned anymore on them....I'd be caught.

Mari obviously noticed, and tried to help me out by getting out of here.

"Mari, Mari, why the sudden hurry?" I hear the commie bastard smirk. Fuck. Mari, just get him out of here!

My nose started to itch.

i tried holding it in. Instead, I ended up sneezing.

All went silent.

"Delphi....." Mari began. " What was that? "

Turd (you know what, that's what I think I'll call him from now on. But NOW IS NOT THE TIME.) approached the closet that I am in, wearing his stupid shit eating grin. "It's almost like you're hiding something. You have been glancing at this closet an awful lot,"

I freeze .

He grips the handles.

He pulls.

And there we are.

Face to face.

"Thomas?!"

" Commie... " i growled back. He turned his furious gaze to Mari. "You lied to me!" 

Mari shrugged. "I wasn't actually obligated to tell you. If it makes you feel any better, only 3 people including me actually know about him,"

Delphi just stared, and blurted out. " Is mr. High and mighty blushing? "

I facepalm.

kids say the funniest things.

now Turd is gonna kill her.

"Yeah, I think he is...." One of the two guys said smirking. What do you think Pat? " he turned to the fried chicken wing hair guy.

The other guy smirked. "Yeah....good eye kid....."

Turd Tuesday started fuming over getting teased by a little girl and his two underlings.

"Yeesh. Did ya miss me?" He looked horrified. I smirk. "GOOD, c because I didn't miss you either.

I kicked him in the shin, and Mari just tripped the other two guys by falling, and I jumped over them and made my way to that closet I saw on my way down here.

why do I like closets so much?

EH.

~meanwhile ~

"Leader, that's just a little kid. Don't shoot her!"

" Then she should get up! " he snapped.

"Uhhh. She's paraplegic. That's part of why she's in here?" Mari said sarcastically. " Why do you think there is a wheelchair?!'

"Shut it, you're in no position to talk,"

" oh I'm sorry you thought that you were entitled to knowing who exactly I was hiding! I'm more loyal to possible friends then possible contracts when it comes to that! " she snapped, glare cold.

"Mari, can I...?"

" No Delphi, you cannot. Just give me the key, "

"But...."

Mari shrugged. "You're tough, "

TBC

💕💀💕

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh tom, you know exactly why you like closets  
> Enjoy your dumb holidays   
> (I don't especially like Christmas, sorry)


	25. 21: BREAKING NEWS: RED LEADER ROASTED BY A 9 YEAR OLD GIRL?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay. This was really fun at the end.  
> No clue where I'm going, But I really like it.

Delphi grinned, a murderous gleam in her eyes. "Mari, I know it's a couple days early.....But please. Consider me a nine year old,"

Mari shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Why not? We've already got guns pointed at us. Do your worst kid," and grinned as well.

shit was about. To go. Down.

Delphi smiled sweetly at Tord, before saying, "Are you threatened by a 9 year old disabled child? What are you, a Conservative?" She said, with the sweetest Angel face ever. "I mean really, talk about petty,"

Pat snorted. "Ha," Tord glared .

Mari pulled out a knife. "I mean, I would've introduced you all to each other and said it was knife to meet you, but that's beyond the point,"

"I would help with your pun train, but you already have a handle on it," Delphi chuckled.

"Hey! Don't fork with my cutlery puns!"

" they aren't too knife Mari, they just don't make the cut, "

"You sure you're not talking about the guy pointing a gun at you?"

All eyes turned to tord.

Delphi's eyes gleamed. "You got a point there....I mean, he looks like a tomato, so of course he's not sharp,"

"Maybe he wants a TOMato..." Mari muttered . Pau laughed.

"Shut up! All of you!" Tord shouted .

"Do you ever even check your guns?" Mari asked .

"No, why would I? Especially here?' Tord asked, bamboozled.

"Mari....does this guy actually run an entire army? Because he only has one sleevey....and it doesn't seem like it's enough, " Delphi asked.

"Check your guns, guys," Mari chuckled. He seemed baffled that they all seemed to have not checked this morning.

The three all checked their guns, and to their amazement, the clips were just filled with heavy candy.

"What...? When?" They looked at mari, who shrugged.

" Don't ask me, ask the local king sized Munchkin. Oh wait......nevermind. That is me, " And started laughing their ass off.

"You didn't bother to check?!" Delphi giggled. "Wow, I didn't know anyone would still fall for Mari's trolling!,"

"Hey!" Mari snapped, indignant. "I like to think everyone is far too cautious to fall for it anymore, and not that my pranks are boring," they straightened

Delphi shrugged and pushed down the covers, twisting so her legs were now dangling off the edge of the bed. She breathed in, and pushed herself off.

Thump.

She landed and rolled onto her stomach, beginning her crawl to wheelchair tucked in the corner.

"Hey, can I help her out real quick?" Mari asked, still held at gun point.

"No," Tord snapped.

Delphi continued to crawl.

Excruciatingly slowly.

"OKAY FINE. But be quick," He snapped.

Mari rushed over to Delphi, scooping her up and dusting her off, before depositing her into the chair. Before Mari could return to the doorway, however, Delphi whispered something. Mari nodded, with a smile.

"What are you saying?!" Tord asked, fairly mad. All this had happened in the span of 5 minutes and he still hadn't gone after Tom.

"Oh nothing," Mari grinned. "Just talking about her birthday. It's in less than a week, you know!"

"Yeah yeah...."Tord grumbled, walking to the door. "You're coming with us. We're taking Thomas,"

Mari frowned. "Without his consent?"

"Well that's what you did, isn't it?"

"No, he came here mostly of his own free will,"

"Mostly?"

"It was either stay and get tortured or leave and get hidden for a bit,"

"Easy choice,"

"Not really,"

~MEANWHILE~

Tom's Pov:

 

Ok.

I am stuck in a closet.

The bastard saw me.

Mari risked himself and that kid to keep me safe.

That kid is a smuggler?

Tord saw me.

Tord saw me.

Tord.

Saw.

Me.

Fuck.

Now he'll be looking everywhere.

Ugh.

How can I avoid him?  
I need to get a message to Edd.

He needs to know.

My heart clenches in regret.

I hate lying to him.

Really, I do.

I sigh, leaning on the wall.

This closet is sizable, admittedly.

Wait....

What's that?

A small panel looks different on the wall. I poke it.

It glows blue, before sliding back and to the left, revealing a control panel.

In it, a note.

I pick up the note. It looks new. Recent.

'Tom,

Look. I knew this was where you'd run, so here's some instructions. Tord (Yes I'm calling him that it's faster, now shut up and stop grimacing) has seen you, you ran away to this closet.

He's going to make me an offer I can't refuse, and start heading over there at 10:36.

He'll get there at 10:42.

You only have a couple minutes, so read carefully.

Delphi and I are keeping them busy, so before he heads over there, pull the blue switch, and connect the green wire to the purple one. The red button needs to be pressed and held for three seconds before you flick the blue switch up again. On the small keypad, type in 'WADG'. You should hear a click. Take this note and close up this panel by pulling the small black lever.

Go to the shelf and push it to the left. It's light, don't worry. There's a trapdoor that's unlocked. Get in. The shelf will move back and it'll lock behind you. Your next instructions are in there.

Do this, If you don't want to get captured by Tofd.'

My eyes widened, and I looked at the shelf Mari gave me earlier. 10:29. Plenty of time.

Carefully, I pulled the switch down, and unplugged the green and purple wires from their original matches, and connected them to the respective other one. It reminded me of Edd and Matt. I hope their doing well.

I pressed the button with a grimace, imagining it was 'Tofd's' face. Heh, Tofd. That's pretty funny. He'd hate it.

I flicked the switch back up.

Click.

Great. Now, to close it.

I pulled the black switch, stuffing the note in my pocket, and turned to the shelf.

I walked over, and moved it to the left. It was light.

And there, was a trapdoor in the Tile floor.

Almost unnoticable.

One small tile, however, was replaced with a loop. Though I suspect it's usually a tile.

"Geez, Mari...." I grumble as I open the trapdoor."You really thought this through, huh?" I got in, closing the door.

I heard a sliding and a whirring before finally I heard a click.

I pushed up.

IT didn't budge.  
Yep, that's locked.

A light suddenly came on, a dull orange. There was a small desk in this room, and on it, a backpack and a note.

I walked over, ready.

Marigold had gone through the trouble to keep me away from Tord for whatever reason. I was going to take it.

~TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ex Machina escape highlighting the magical Mary Sue that is Marigold.  
> WOOOOOOO  
> This is gonna be great.  
> Will Tom return to help Mari?  
> Should he?  
> How did Mari know?


	26. Chapter 22: An escape made possible, Old records found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OOOOOF  
> THIS WAS SO GOOD TO WRITE

Tom's Pov:

I stood for a moment, checking the watch.

10:34

8 minutes before Tord gets to that closet.

I pick up the note, unfolding it. How did Mari plan this?

'Tom,

You made it!

GREAT. Now, you're directly under the closet, in the catacombs. We have a huge basement complex, but that's like 1.2 stories underground. So.....Yeah.

Anyway, I set up this whole escape plan for you last night, and it should work.

This bag on the desk contains most of what you'll need to get to our secondary base about 46 km from here. Or to just stay in town.

There's one of my .44 magnum Mark XIX desert eagles (Don't break Liz, I fucking love her.), along with 3 full clips for it.

There's an Astra A-60 as well. again, 3 clips.

Also a knife and fire starter set.

There's a week of the prescription, along with a full canteen and 9 days worth of rations. They look small, but trust me, they have the calories.

Small radio is there, and anything else you may need is farther along where you'll need to make a choice.

The door to the right's passcode is "0-4-0-5". Go straight, turn right at the third intersection, go straight, enter the blue door labeled "safe". You'll need to lock it when you get in, and stay in there. Good luck.

P.s: This is so like a video game oh my god. 😅'

I chuckle and look at the watch as I put on the back pack.

 

But really,

How did Mari know this would happen?

10:36

Showtime.

Tord's Pov:

We walked down the halls, following these blue footprints illuminated on the floor.  
Mari explained that they were only installed in most halls, and that it traced footprints from certain times, so if we wanted to know where someone went if they left point a at time x, we could follow those footprints.

It's pretty nifty, I admit, and I wonder why I hadn't thought of it myself.

Marigold is continually glaring at me as she escorts us along the path.

Well, she did lie to me.

However her willingness to keep the crippled little girl alive amazed me.

I glance at the little girl in question, and notice that her left side was scarred and blind. I smiled lightly. Kind of like me. Just the opposite side of her body. I consider myself lucky. She can't walk anymore, I can. But what kind of an event can a nine year old get into that leaves them so badly injured?

I'm pulled from my thoughts as we stop in front of a closet.

"Thomas went into a closet," I deadpan.

"Guess so," Mari replied, opening the door.

Inside, there was a large shelf, with a lot of flashlights, and a couple boxes. 3 boxes were stacked on top of each other, and when I looked above them, there was an open vent. There's no Tom.

"Funny, I could have sworn that he didn't have a screwdriver...." Mari muttered, obviously agitated by Thomas's lack of appearance. "And the vents? Oh dear god he'll be lucky to make it out of there alive...."

My ears perked at that, and I picked her up by the collar. "What. Did you say?"

Marigold rolled her eyes, "Look bud, the vents are super dangerous to be in. He'll be lucky to survive them depending on where he goes. From the looks of it, he went in 10 minutes ago. He doesn't have a map, maybe a flashlight, and all the signs in the ventilation are in braille! That idiot went in blind!" she snapped at me. Having no respect for my authority.

"Do you know who I am?!" I growl.

"Yeah, and this isn't your base. We're a non partisan organization that helps the highest bidder. We are our own thing. And you, are outnumbered and out manned with just you and your two men. Besides, you're threatening me when I had no legitimate reason to tell you where Thomas was. I don't work for you, and it was classified information,"

My eyes narrow at that. "I am the Red Leader--"

"Yeah, that's obvious. You took a name from history to name your silly army. Great! Next slide! It doesn't matter to me! That doesn't matter to me! Do you not get that? I don't care!"

I'm at a loss for words. "Wha-"

"You want to know where Tom is?! So do I! But I understand what he's feeling! What it's like to hate your soulmate! I understand that! Face it, you're an egotistical power hungry maniac! That's part of the reason Communism rarely works! You're a fool if you think that this will work for long!" Mari shouted at me, her magenta eye glowing slightly.

I tighten my grip. "What do you know about me? About Thomas? About my army?"

Mari shrugged, grinning. "That I don't care and was just buying time for myself,"

"Wait what-"

SLAM

The door was slammed open and 4 men rushed in. "Put the boss down," One said. "We aren't gonna injure ya' but boss has to go do somethin'"

I grimace. "What-" I look at my hand, noticing it was holding something significantly lighter. "What?" I looked to the right.

There was Mari, grinning. "Let's just go play that game, eh? You wanted to gain access to my research! And maybe Tom will show up. I'll send some search teams. We'll probably find him," and she started walking off. "Come along! You boys can stop aiming at him!"

The men around me all lowered their guns, and one of them radioed in directions to other teams. I noticed it was the guy from earlier. I opened my mouth to say something. But he spoke first. "Looks as though I'll be escorting you to Mari, since he went ahead without ya'," And walked out, gesturing for us to follow.

I grumbled, but marched out of there after Delphi speedily rolled herself out after Marigold.

I wonder where Thomas is, and what he plans to do?

Meanwhile......

Tom's Pov:

I saw the blue door labeled 'safe', and ran to it. Ripping off the paper label and stuffing it in my pocket as I unlocked and opened the door. I went in, and locked the door, adrenaline pumping through my veins as I leaned against the door to catch my breath.

I glanced around for a moment, taking in my surroundings.

The room was fairly large, and there was a mini fridge tucked under a desk in the corner. The desk had some papers on it, so I walked over, wanting to know if this was Mari's next set of instructions.

I picked up the top sheet, and it was far from expected.

They were records, dated years ago.I opened the fridge, and there was a sandwich, and a note. I read the note and grabbed the sandwich.

'Tom!

Eat this, and sit tight until oh.....Noon? Sorry about the mess. I was looking for something and didn't have time to clean up. Sorry!

-Mari'

I ate the small sandwich quickly, and turned my attention back to the records on the desk. Unlike everything else I had seen Mari leave behind, this was messy and disorganized. Not thought out. 

I glanced around, before picking the file up again. It was only 10:57. I have an hour.

So....I began to read the top one first.

'September 5th, 2021

Notes:

Well. I've come a long way with these experiments.

7 years really does pass by. It's amazing how much I've gained in knowledge, when I started with barely anything. It's both sad and a relief that I'm one of the only researchers that was part of the original team left.

I miss them. Either way, today's report:

Subject 1:

She reacted badly to today's dosage. Subjects 8, 17, 42, 48, 54, and 66 all had similar reactions today. The only similarity between all of them is that all of them share a blood type. They all reported that they began to feel nausea within 10-20 minutes of their injections. Currently, they're in the medical bay, running a fever of 100-107 degrees. We're working on figuring out why this happened.

Subject 7:

Another notable case today. She started having muscle spasms around noon, 2 hours after injections. She collapsed into a heap and began to cry inconsolably. She still hasn't calmed down. We looked into it, and found that her soulmate was critically injured in an accident at noon. We believe that the injection made her have higher sensitivity. The opposite effect intended, for sure, but a fascinating result nonetheless.

Subject 13:

We had to subdue Subject 13 around 11 AM today. He started getting deleterious 20 minutes after injections. He seemed fine for a half hour, and then began to get easily agitated. When Doctor Ruthersof came in to check in, Subject 13 lunged and attacked her. Doctor Ruthersof is in critical condition. His eyes were reportedly 'glowing' when he attacked Doctor Ruthersof, and it took 12 tranquilizers to subdue him. A separate report will be made concerning his reaction. I found it interesting, to say the least.

Subject 18:

Another subject gone rogue today. Subject 18 reacted badly as soon as we gave him the injections. He became more like a rabid animal and seemed to lose all cognitive thought, and broke from his restraints spurring a 2 hour chase around the facility. It would have been funny, had it not injured 13 members of the staff on duty. Like 13, his eyes were 'glowing' although he seemed to have more restraint about injuring certain people. He almost attacked Subjects 17, 23, and 34, but once they turned and looked at him, he paused and went on his way. Subject 29, however, (Who 18 is known to have a bitter rivalry with.) was not as lucky. 18 tackled and fought 29, which gave us time to subdue 18, however, 29 is now recovering from a broken arm.

Subjects 20 & 21:

The twins had a very different reaction from all the other subjects. They fell asleep 5 minutes after injections for an hour, woke up at the exact same time, and wandered into my office. They each had a burn mark on their sides, though they both claim to never have been burned today. The point of injection was also mysteriously scarring. They also mentioned fuzzy vision.

Subject 53:

Was overly distraught at 54's hospitalization. The medicine also made her more emotionally unstable, like Subject 7. However, she had less sever muscle spasms. Her distress was caused from worry for a good friend, unlike Subject 7's loss.

Overall Report:

Surprising damage, all within 4 hours of the injections. More research must be done on the formula, as the results were so wildly different from each other. What triggered each response? Chemical reactions?

-Doctor Valentine'

I was at a loss for words. Human experimentation? What?"

I sifted through the files some more, coming across a file dated 5 months before that one.

'April 3rd, 2021

We have gathered enough volunteers for our next round of experimentation. They will hereby be known as "Subject ##". Their basic information and assigned numbers are below:

Subject 1:

Catherine Jelavich

Female, 19

Subject 2:

Olivia Tvitser

Female, 23

Subject 3:

Noah Clarkson

Male, 24

Subject 4:

Simiath Fridoskarch

Female, 24

Subject 5:

Joseph Antione

Male, 27

Subject 6:

Likren Adofe

Male, 32

Subject 7:

Ziana Dracovsky

Female, 25

Subject 8:

Danyon Lastens

Male, 23

Subject 9:

Jaxon Lobroth

Female, 24

Subject 10:

Astrid Lagerth

Female, 22

Subject 11:

Simon Butthorm

Male, 36

Subject 12:

Stavik Tritsy

Male, 35

Subject 13:

James Rutherford

Male, 26

Subject 14:

Lucille Washington

Female,24

Subject 15:

Amelia Hamils

Female, 21

Subject 16:

John Laurden

Male, 21

Subject 17:

Alec Stiphon

Male, 34

Subject 18:

Sakuya Ito

Male, 24

Subject 19:

Simith Laverat

Male, 19

Subject 20:

Lilith Hanahaki

Female, 27

Subject 21:

Janisth Hanahaki

Female, 27

Subject 22:

Jutoshi Lynix

Male, 25

Subject 23:

Sakurai Smusho

Male, 34

Subject 24:

Alexis Cariad

Female, 26

Subject 25:

Ludobika Hansen

Female, 27

Subject 26:

Sophia Carter

Female, 28

Subject 27:

James Forton

Male, 23

Subject 28:

Sophie Turner

Female, 34

Subject 29:

Maximilian Hondrod

Male, 31

Subject 30:

Laurence Clawert

Male, 23

Subject 31:

Jessica Hoppins

Female, 25

Subject 32:

James Droogery

Male, 23

Subject 33:

Alex Orange

Male, 18

Subject 34:

Mikaela Rithof

Male, 20

Subject 35:

Eliza Sgooder

Female, 19

Subject 36:

Emily Rakstiff

Female, 24

Subject 37:

Connie Bull

Male, 26

Subject 38:

Evelyn Winters

Female, 20

Subject 39:

Frida Dosch

Female, 35

Subject 40:

Ameli Martinez

Female, 19

Subject 41:

Alex Devotchka

Female, 23

Subject 42:

Moishe Dozoretz

Male, 32

Subject 43:

Simbar Eaden

Male, 25

Subject 44:

Kyle Rodgers

Male, 22

Subject 45:

Christian Druvon

Male, 23

Subject 46:

Chris Lambstop

Male, 24

Subject 47:

Kimberly Eaversd

Female, 24

Subject 48:

Brooke Vavoooooont

Female, 39

Subject 49:

Joseph Stackrind

Male, 27

Subject 50:

Sylvia Czechsi

Female, 34

Subject 51:

Cecil Palmer

Male, 25

Subject 52:

Carlos Scienco

Male, 26

Subject 53:

Janice Palmer

Female, 24

Subject 54:

Tamika Flynn

Female, 25

Subject 55:

Patryk Foosbot

Male, 19

Subject 56:

Lillian Hanodsa

Female, 35

Subject 57:

Kiri Limons

Male, 20

Subject 58:

Daen Lee

Female, 36

Subject 59:

Simon Butchre

Male, 30

Subject 60:

Luke Skavek

Male, 20

Subject 61:

Juliana Brodeur

Female, 24

Subject 62:

Iona Moran

Male, 19

Subject 63:

Sophia Riggs

Female, 34

Subject 64:

Alexander Rottencrotch

Male, 23  
Subject 65:

Helen Kurae

Female, 26

Subject 66:

Ninz Basilone

Male, 27

Subject 67:

Ludwig Rapses

Male, 29

Subject 68:

Bethlehem Levertov

Female, 34

Subject 69:

Alexia Shawna

Female, 25

Subject 70:

Minn Finnly

Female, 19

Subject 71:

Samantha Tremendae

Female, 21

Subject 72:

Michelle Conbolt

Female, 25...'

There were more names, but a few caught my eye.

Subject 61, was obviously the Juliana that I knew today. To think she'd been a test subject for Mari? Who was so cheerful? 

Subject 9, Jax? She has such a masculine name! I wasn't expecting it.

I look at the clock; 11:07 it reads.

I look at the other files, and shrug.

I was getting curious.

I sifted through the files, until I found a small journal in the pile, kept closed with a leather strap.

I opened it, and the first page read this;

'Property of Marigold Vincent Valentine

Used only for notes and personal observations.'

I smiled. The handwriting was a bit more messy than it is now, and the paper seemed older. I decided I'd flip through it.

The beginning was Mari talking about a birthday, and the decomposition of a small songbird he'd found. There was an entry mentioning a 'Magnolia' and how much he adored her.

Some time later, he mentioned his soulmark appearing, and his recognizing the handwriting to belong to Magnolia. So Magnolia is the name of his sister? I look at the date. '5/14/13' 9 years ago?

I flip forward some time, and it is the passage that I read next that horrifies me;

'Today....My daughter was born.

Actually, I'm supposed to say little sister, but hey. Delphi will never find this. I swear.

Anyway. I hate my father with a burning passion now.

He wanted to test if I could have kids....The bastard. Hid me away when I got knocked up, lied to mom and said I just slept around (Which I do, but I'm careful and get tested every two weeks, dammit!) and got knocked up, and now, we have to lie to her. My baby. We have to lie and say mom gave birth to her. Maggie is still away, so she'll never know.

I hate this body.

Hermaphroditus just sucks. I mean, my male genitalia is sterile (Dad found that out too,) so I don't need to worry about getting anyone else pregnant. Thank god. But it tires me out. The hormones are exhausting in their own right.

So I go out with my new friends;

Juliana, this girl from France, and Jaxon, this real cool girl from Sweden.

They're both older, but they listened when I told them about Maggie, so I can get away from her. Thank god.'

I blinked in shock.

Delphi? Mari's daughter? What? I quickly shove it into my back pack, glancing at the clock.

It was almost noon. 

Better get ready.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE LIST KILLED ME BLEGH


	27. 23: Games and Choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuff. Basically, weird stuff to progress the plot however boring that may be?

@EmMations 

Thanks for being here from day 1: 

11:30

Tord's Pov:

We came to a small room, that overlooked another larger room, in which 16 people stood at different podiums.

Mari was watching all of them, and looking at the tablet in her hand. Occasionally swiping right and glancing at the people down at the podiums.

"What's this?" I asked as I approached.

Mari turned. "This?" She smiled. "I told you, didn't I? I like games. This is the first one. After this, they won't be necessary,"

My eyes narrowed. "What?"

She laughed. "They all betrayed me, but.........I'm letting them call eachother out," She turned back to them. "Oh! Looks like they're ready!" and flipped a switch. Suddenly, the audio of what was being said down there was being broadcast into the room. And Marigold beckoned me over. "Come, come! This will be fun!"

I walked over looking down and listening to what was being said.

Man 1: Hey, Why are we here?

Man 2: Danyon? I don't really know....

Woman 1: Woah Woah Woah......Hold up. Don't tell me we're....Shit.

Woman 2: Alexis...Do you know what's going on?

Alexis: Yeah, I think so. And all I think I can say is that we're all dead meat.

Danyon: What?! Alexis, What's the meaning of this?! What do you mean?!

Man 3: Guys.....What is going on?

Man 2: Alex.....I just noticed something.

Everyone else: WHAT?!

Man 2: We were all test subjects for Mari last year.

Alex: True....Everyone, please o my brothers and sisters, state your subject number.

Danyon: Alex....What the actual fuck?

Alex: What? I felt like it.

Mari smiled and turned to me. "Which one do you want them to eliminate first?"

I backed away. "Eliminate? Why?"

Mari frowned, looking at the time, and shrugged. "You know what, never mind," and smashed a blue button, that dropped everyone in the room except for two down into a pit. She pressed another button and spoke into the intercom microphone. "Alex? Alexis? You two can both come back now," 

The two in question gave a small salute before rushing out the now open door to the left.

She turned around again, and walked out without another word.

I turned to Pat and Pau for a moment, mouthing "Should we follow?" and they just shrugged so I walked out.

I checked my pocket as I caught up with Mari.

The pistol was there.

When I caught up, I saw Marigold smiling and laughing with Delphi.

I know Marigold's weak point.

She's smaller than me.

I can handle her.

I grip the gun lightly.

It's there if I need it.

I retract my hand and catch up to them, and Marigold stands up straight as I approach, opening the door she'd been waiting in front of, before letting Delphi in.

When I walked in, it was a fairly large tinker shop, well lit, with a huge window overlooking a lake.

Mari took off her coat and hung it on a coat hook, motioning for me to do the same. "Do you like to build things?"

I nodded and hung my own coat, lifting the heavy weight from my shoulders. "Yes, I suppose I do. I design quite a few tools and weapons for my army,"

"I know,"

I turned around, as she pulled out some blueprints. "What are you working on?"

"Leg braces,"

"Why?"

She nodded to Delphi. "Why do you think?"

I nodded. "So...Why am I here?"

She stayed silent for a moment, thinking. Before finally answering, "I have a lot of my soulmate research in this very room,"

I stepped back. "What?" and glanced around. "Where?"

She put down the blueprint and walked to a door and punched a code into the little keypad next to it. I approached, noticing the door was steel enforced, and it took a minute for it to fully unlock. The door slid to the left and she walked in, leaving the door wide open for me to follow. I entered the doorway, and marveled at the 24 large safes in front of me.

"What...?"

She turned around. "Each safe contains half a year of my results. So only the bottom 16 safes are full at the moment. Each safe has a paper file on the inside of the door containing a list of which drives contain what information. Each drive is numbered, and each safe has a specific color dot that it corresponds to. I can make duplicates for you and have them delivered to you, but to view the originals, you have to do it here. The drives are programmed to lock if they're anywhere else but here, and they each have a unique password. The passwords are on a drive that I carry around, but it's locked, and I'm the only one with the password, yadda yadda yadda, what do you want first?"

I just stood there dumb founded. "Uhhhhh...." Paul and Pat came in. "We have access to ALL of these?" I asked, dumbfounded that she was giving this to me. 

She shrugged. "Well, why not? You're probably gonna kill me,"

"Wait wh-"

"Don't think I didn't notice your gun in your pocket,"

"How-"

"Just don't hurt Delphinium,"

"Delphinium? Is that some kind of drug? Why would anyone name a kid after a drug?"

"Delphinium, as in, the flower?"

"Are your parents botanists?"

"My mom loved to garden, but I named Delphi,"

"An interesting name,"

"Yeah,"

We stood in silence for a moment.

I cleared my throat and turned to the safes. "So," I glanced around. "Which one deals with Soulmates?"

"All of them,"

"That's not-"

"You'll want the sunflower yellow files," And she walked out.

TBC

(Sorry for my late update! Been busy, ish.)


	28. Chapter 24: Study Hall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok. I moved house, hence why this is late. It's short, but so's 25. OKAY

Tord:

I stood there for a moment, staring at the door that Mari had just exited. I heard the click of another door being open and shut, hinting that Mari had left.

I looked to safes, the top shelf towering above me, Pau, and Pat.

"So...." Pat began, clearing his throat. "She's just gonna leave us with all her research?"

I nodded. "Yeah...I guess so," and reached to the safe with a sunflower yellow label. The label read, 'July-December, 2019' "Three years ago? That's....Pretty recent...." Pulling open the door, I saw what must be over a thousand drives. "WHAT?!" I cried out in surprise and dismay.

"Boss....How are we gonna do this? Start here, wait for her to send them? Or...?"

I thought for a moment. "Well," I began. "This place must continue it's research. It's clear they're successful. Though I would like to have them ally themselves with us, I don't think we can bring them under our control yet. And we need to get that drive from off Marigold eventually....But there's so many files, so we'll need to take our time,"

Pat blanched at that, opening his mouth to say something, but Pau beat him to it. "You do realize that their best mercenaries have a reputation of annihilating whole troops, individually, right?"

I snapped my attention back to Pau. "What?"

"Did you really not read up on this organization?"

"....No?"

"This place has quite the reputation," He sighed and sat down. "Alright. Imma tell you what I know..."

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear Tords,  
> How the actual fuck do you run an entire army? You're so dumb!


	29. Chapter 25: Gauntlet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> La dee da..... 26 is pretty important! Maybe some....Oh I don't know....Blood....Accidental kisses? Handlocks? Punching?  
> Moral battle? Getting knocked out?

Tom's Pov:

I strode through the tiled hallways, the lights flickering and my steps loud.

My heart pounded in my ears, my throat ached.

I need a drink.

I come to an intersection, and like the previous intersections, there was a paper left on the ground. 

'Tom,

Look, this place is a crossroads for you. By now, I've had to send search parties after you at the Leader's request, so your choices now could effect whether you get caught. 

Left, you leave this place and go to the second base. There's a package you have to bring for the command there in order to be let in, but hey, you'll be safe(ish).

Right, you go to the hideout in the city, and go into hiding for a duration of 3 months.

Forward, you face Tord, and I have no clue. I may get murdered?

The choice is yours. The fate of our world may very well be in your drunken hands my friend.

Bottoms up!"

Attached to the note is a small flask, half full. I open it, and take a whiff. The strong scent of vodka bombards my nose. I chug it all down, and go forward.

I think slightly drunk me can do something.

Besides, I'll make it clear that Mari has no actual part in this, claiming him as non-partisan.

It might work?

I still need to talk to Delphi.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And get ready......For 26: Confrontation!


	30. Chapter 26: Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This ends funny.  
> Did this is in one go, mostly on the toilet.

1:03 pm

In the file closet, Tord, Pau, and Pat are cataloging the files they wish to be immediately sent to them.

At the bottom of their list, they write a note saying, 'we want all of them eventually, this is just a start.'

Mari stands in a greenhouse, trimming the thorns off of the roses, waiting for a guide to show Tord, Pau, and Pat where to find her. She has a tranquilizer in her pocket, along with a small vial of blue liquid. Hidden in the bushes, there's several weapons. Each prepared for different outcomes. Near the twin entrances of the garden, there's a table with 3 items on it. There is plenty of space for a fight.

Tom is halfway down a hallway, a grimace on his lips and his brow furrowed. The small notebook he found is in his back pocket as he shed the backpack at the crossroads. He could run back and go either direction to save himself. The door is in sight of the crossroads.

There are 30 minutes left.

The first code, is 177

1:10

Tord, Pau, and Pat have all gotten up and headed to the door. There was an attendant waiting. He says nothing, and only walks away, toward the garden in which Mari prepares.

Mari is almost ready. The flowers are cut, the scene in almost set. She takes the tranquilizer and vial from her coat pocket, and stands near the entrances, equidistant from either. She has five minutes left to prepare, and a message is sent.

The message is received.

Tom is 19 minutes away as he walks through an empty hangar.

Tord is 19 minutes away following a silent guide.

Time is running out.

There are 23 minutes left.

The second code is 112.

1:17

Mari has made the proper arrangements. A cup of spilled tea lays abandoned on the ground, and an empty syringe on the ground. Some of the flowers look disturbed. Mari lays on the ground and swallows a pill. She's losing consciousness.

Tord is stuck in an elevator.

Tom is walking up a small flight of stairs.

Both are 12 minutes away.

Both doors are 16 minutes from opening.

The third code is 68.

1:25

There are two long halls leading to either entrance. The timers each read 9 minutes.

Tom and Tord, each in their separate halls, crouch down to clutch their aching chest and head.

The pain fades 3 minutes later.

The timers have 6 minutes left.

Tom and Tord are each five minutes away.

Mari is unconscious, and the scene is set. She looks as though she was attacked.

Tom finds a note and reads it as he walks.

'Don't blame me for whatever happens.'

He tosses it aside.

There are 5 minutes until the doors open.

They arrive 3 minutes later.

The final code is 443.

1:31

The doors each have a two minute timer.

They each have a keypad.

The keypads are both broken. 

On Tom's door, there's a paper taped on.

it reads as follows;

'A human is only human,

If he can make a choice.

There is no definite good

Or definite bad.

There is only a choice, and it's result.

A cause, and it's effect.

Maybe I have taken your choice. Maybe I have not.

Because all I did, was set this into motion.'

When Tord, Pau, and Pat arrive, their guide bolts away, as if snapped from a trance.

"What the hell am I doing here?! I gotta get away from here!" and he ran like a dear from a hunter.

On the door, there's a note.

It reads as follows;

'Maybe I have deceived you,

Maybe I have not.

You came here on business, and were lured in by questions an circumstance.

Have you truly chosen to stay this long?

Either way.

I am not responsible for what lies beyond this door.

I merely put together circumstances and possible choices for you both to make.

I was curious.

I will know the outcome when the doors open.

This event affects us all.

Don't blame me for whatever happens next.'

And at 1:33, when both finished their notes, the doors unlocked and swung open.

Revealing the garden.

1:33

Both entered the room looking around until their eyes both settled on the body before them.

Tord entered alone, as the door quickly swung shut after he passed through it.

Tom entered with confidence.

Both entered without seeing the other come in.

There, on the ground, lay Mari. A pool of blood near her head, and 2 possible culprits as to what happened. Her clothes were messed up, and it was obvious Mari was unconscious. She still breathed, after all.

"Mari!" Tom cried and rushed to her side. Tord got there a second later, his brain not realizing who it was beside him. "Mari?" Tom checked her pulse and glanced around. "Is she okay?" Tord asked in a panic. Mari was necessary to unlock the drives!

When Tom looked right, his blood went cold as their eyes locked. He dropped Mari and hopped up and back, ready for a fight.

Tord practically growled as he sprung to his feet. "Thomas,"

"Commie," Tom spat.

They stood for a moment, until they sprang at eachother.

"Dammit, why'd YOU have to be here?!" Tom cried.

"Ha, me?! I had business!"

"What, you gonna hire Mari?"

"I was considering,"

Tom pushed forward, his hands burning at the contact with Tord. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, aiding to ignore the pain in his chest. He pushed a little too hard, and toppled forward as Tord got pushed back.

Time seemed to go in slow motion as they fell the 5 feet to the ground, but Tom landed on top of Tord and his arms both seemed to miss the floor, and their foreheads smacked into eachother, and gravity pulled the rest of Tom's face down.

Onto Tord.

So they just stayed like that for a good minute staring at eachother in horror and shock.

And when Tom found strength to lift himself up, Tord grabbed his arms and flipped them over, blushing like a madman. "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK THOMAS"

"I DON'T FUCKING KNOW IT WAS AN ACCIDENT DAMN IT"

And so began their fisticuffs.

With every punch, an insult.

With every dodge, a taunt.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they kissed.  
> and got mad


	31. 27: Survival of the Fittest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something gets revealed and it's kinda funny.  
> Someone is smoller than they claim.

The two men stood stock still, staring eachother in the eyes, a mad blush on their face as they tried to forget what happened not even a minute before.

Tom charged at Tord, reaching, GRASPING, for his throat. Tord grabbed his wrists, and threw Tom to the side with all the strength in his arms.

Tom rolled on impact, slamming into the wall of a raised flowerbed and smacking the back of his head on a corner of said flower bed. He struggled getting up, disoriented as he was, when in the flowers, he noticed a glint, and thrust his hand towards the glint, grasping the object and pulling out a knife.

His eyes widened in surprise, the handle cool in his hand, and sluggishly got up, his mind slowly coming to the realization that the roses he had thrust his hand into had had no thorns, and glanced at Tord, who was quickly running toward him with a fire in his eyes, prosthetic hand reaching out to grab for Tom.

At the very last moment, Tord tripped on his feet and Tom hopped out of the way, letting Tord fall into the thornless bushes.

THUMP THUMP THUMP

Tord grinned. "Well, looks as though I have backup on they way," He rolled back over and sprung himself at Tom, a wild grin on his face as he grappled with Tom while Tom continued to dodge, holding the knife behind him as he glanced around for other weapons in the roses.

'Mari set this up, knowing we would fight,' he jumped back, a glance to the left. 'Why?' A sidestep. 'What good does it do them?" Tap.

Tord grinned. "Keep your eyes on me, Jehovah!"

Tom fell back into the roses and Tord took the chance to pin him down. However, Tom slashed at him as he fell, cutting part of Tord's lapel, and Tord fell onto Tom in a pile of clumsy. His coat flared up a little, revealing some VERY tall heels.

...........

.........

.......

.....

....

...

..

.

"Holy shit, commie you short motherfucker,"

"I am not short!"

"You're wearing 6 inch heels..............."

"HEY!"

"Oh my fucking god......you're a short little communist!"

"AM.NOT," Tord growled.

Click!

Their eyes turned to the door through which Tom had entered, and someone who looked similar to Mari stood there in shock, gun cocked and pointed at Mari.

"Wait!" They both shouted, springing to their feet and running towards the woman in white.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smol Tord oh Smol tord....
> 
> Who is the mysterious figure in white?


	32. 28: Critical

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This incorporates an idea I've had for ages.  
> Yes, Mari is a fucking Mary Sue. I know. I regret that. BUT UGH PLOT.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is dedicated to  
> TheBlackEyedPea  
> Good luck with your writing friend!

The stranger in white startled, stepping back and squeezed the trigger, it didn't shoot.

She checked the gun and switched the safety off running towards Mari while evading Tord and Tom.

Then, Tord and Tom both lept forward, reaching the woman at the same time and tackled her to the ground.

Almost in slow motion, the three fell, and the woman's hand holding the gun smacked onto the ground, and the gun went off.

BANG!

All was still for a moment, and slowly, the three looked up.

There was Mari, sitting up, clutching their cheek.

"M-Mari?" The woman in white whimpered, reaching out to Mari. "Sis? A-are you....Okay?"

"Sis?" Mari growled out from under their breath. "All this time, and that's the first thing you say?!" Mari quickly got to their feet, and stomped over to the trio on the ground, grabbing the woman by the collar and hauling her up off the ground, Tom and Tord rolling to either side.

"Mari! Please, think--" SMACK "M-Mari?" SMACK "MARI, WHY ARE YOU SMACKING ME?!" SMACK.

Mari frowned. "Everytime you say my name, I have smacked you. You don't get to call me by name. You call me by rank,"

The woman, grimaced as she was raised slightly higher, her toes barely touching the ground as she began to kick. "Let me the hell down! This isn't how you treat your soul-"

Mari slammed the woman into the floor. "Shut. Up,"

The other woman got back up, wiping her mouth off as she smirked. "What? You don't want anyone knowing about us?"

Mari grimaced. "We never were anything more than family. You ruined that, not me,"

"Did I? You seem like you were scared then, as you are now,"

"Oh?"

"After all, like you, and many others, I have seen things one would never expect to be in this world. Right, Mari?"

Mari stood straighter and smiled lightly, shaking their head. "Oh? The UK had.....What, 5? Zombie invasions in the past 15 years. A hell of a lot of people saw those! Oh, and let's not forget...." Mari pulled out a small switchblade. "I, unlike you, went outside more,"

The other woman scoffed. "Really? You just went to the park or movies once a week with mom, that hardly-"

"You're a deep sleeper, you know that?"

"What?"

"Yep!"

"What are you-"

"Remember the elusive 'Silver Rose'? The person who took over a majority of the local gangs where we grew up?"

"Yeah, what about them?"

"Ever wonder why they suddenly passed leadership to someone else all that time ago?"

The other woman stepped back, Mari took a step forward. Tom and Tord still hadn't gotten up, they were frozen in silence as they watched the two converse. Mari smirked, sliding the blade into a different grip. "Ever wonder why I knew so much about the tunnels?"

The other woman stepped back, fear obvious in her eyes. "What? No....My sweet baby sister...."

Mari snapped their head up all the way. "Oh Maggie.....We're the same age....Yet I know so much more!" Their grin faded into a small smile and Mari just fiddled around with their knife. "Silver Rose.....Silver Thorn...See the connection?"

"Mari?"

"Yep. Come to think of it....Wasn't there a 'Crow' and 'BonBon' back then too?"

"You were in that fucking GANG?!"

"Uh....Yeah? I was bored, didn't want to stay at home, met 3 people....And we took over the local underground,"

"YOU MAKE IT SOUND SO GODDAMN EASY!"

"It took us over a year...."

"Yeah, well-"

TWANG.

There was a knife lodged in the floor, a half inch away from Maggie's toes. As she collapsed, Mari took the chance to charge at her, and slid next to her, only to whack her in the back of the head.

SMACK!

Thump.

Really hard.

"Aaaaaaaand she's out," Mari got up and walked over to the frozen men, taking out a small sci fi looking gun, calibrating it, and aiming it at each of their heads separately while they collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

Mari turned to the sleeping Maggie and grimaced.

"Tch,"

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, this part is for you guys.  
> Tom and Tord won't remember a thing about Maggie.  
> MWAHAAHAHAHAHAHA


	33. Hey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I havent been on, heres why

I have been dealing with a stalker problem, and its taken a lot out of me. Love you all, be back soon!


	34. Chapter 29: RESTART LEVEL

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> owo  
> so short  
> but im alive  
> lets do this

Tom's Pov:

It was dark once more. A foggy haze in the back of my mind, surrounding a small hole I hadn't realized was there. It felt like a big gaping hole.

"Every action has an equal and opposite reaction,"

I smirk.

Heh, Highschool physics? Now? Years later?

"Tom,"

Who is that?

"Tom,"

Who? They sound familiar.....

"TOM,"

I snap awake.

I'm in the room I was in earlier, after Mari had given me the pills. I glanced at the window and saw that it was around noon.

"Augh......"

Mari grabs a small glass from the bedside table and filled it with water from the light blue pitcher. I greedily grab for it, my throat burning and my head still dizzy.

I down the glass in seconds, my throat soothed by the cool liquid.

I glance at Mari, who justs sits there with a calm placid expression.

He smiles politely, taking the glass and refilling it before handing it to me. "Are you okay with meeting someone?" He asks.

I chug the glass once more before answering. "Yeah...Sure, I guess,"

He turns to the door. "Delphi! You can come in, I know you're there,"

"Awwwwww....Come on...." A kid's voice whined from behind the door. The door swung open, and a girl in a wheelchair came in, looking around, before her red eyes settled on me. "This him?"

Mari nodded. "Yeah, sure is,"

"You described him pretty accurately. Also, that Red Leader guy left like an hour ago with his companions, I made sure that they wouldn't....Suspect,"

"Ah, thanks. Did you give them the copies they requested?"

"Yeah...About that..."

"What,"

"I may or may not have told them you were withholding some documents...."

"Delphi!"

"It's true! But they had to leave, so they couldn't question you,"

Mari shook his head before remembering I was there. "Tom, This is Delphi, my dau-" He paused, clearing his throat to cover his mistake. "Darling sister,"

Delphi smiled and wheeled herself over. She stopped and reached her hand to me. "Hiya! I'm Delphi, I like science, am a monster, and can't walk,"

I smiled and gingerly took her hand. "I'm Tom, I can.....walk?"

"Doesn't look like it,"

"Delphi!" Mari snapped.

I laughed at her response, and felt a dull ache on my side.

I leaned back, and winced.

I felt like I'd been run over by a truck....What the hell?

I barely listened to what Delphi and Mari were saying, paying more attention to the aches and throbs that felt like bruises.

An hour and a half earlier......

Tord's pov:

I sat in this office with several notes written in my handwriting that I barely recall writing. Pau and Pat seemed as dazed as I was.

"Pau, Pat," I said suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Yes sir?" Pat replied.

" I don't remember writing these notes," I said.

At just that moment the door slid open and in wheeled this kid with a lanyard and a lab coat.

"Uh....Kid.....You supposed to be in here?" Pau deadpanned.

She glared at us with these piercing and unnaturally red eyes as she tucked a lock of white hair behind her ear. "Yes. I am. I'm here to deliver the copies you ordered 13 minutes ago," Gesturing to the box I hadn't noticed sitting on her lap.

"That was....Quick?"

"Yes, and if I recall correctly you're leaving in 15 minutes,"

"I-wait what?!" I gasped. It was 1400?! Already?!

"Yes! You packed your bags this morning so all you need is a snack and to get down to your transport,"

"I-when?"

"Earlier," She waved off my surprise, offering the small box. "Now go. There's someone waiting to escort you down outside. I have to get some work done in here," And she wheeled forward, moving the wheel with her left hand as she shoved the box into my midriff with her right.

I grabbed the box and stood there for a moment, looking at her before she waved her hand. "Shoo. Go on. Let me work,"

I walked out almost immediately for some reason, a large fuzzy spot in my memory occupying my mind.

As I was escorted out, I could've sworn I felt scratching on my leg.

TBC


	35. 30: Mixed Messages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo  
> here it is  
> short  
> kinda important.

Tom's pov:

I sat on the side of my bed, feet planted firmly on the floor. Mari had long since taken Delphi to go to bed. I hadn't seen how many hours had passed until i glanced at the clock and outside. On the small bedside table, there was a small packet that Delphi had left behind, saying I should read it. Something about it making me feel better?

I sighed and fell back, chafing my leg slightly against my pants.

Ah, that's right.

I sat back up and rolled my pant leg up, looking at the words I wrote earlier;

'Commie, I looked at your offer.

My answer is no, you bastard. I get that we're soulmates or whatever, but I'd rather be tortured by my own than ever side with you.

I'm going to kill you.

Just you wait.

-Captain'

Creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeak.

I jumped to my feet and got in a position that made it so I could easily fight, but relaxed when I saw it was Delphi. "Oh, hey. What's up kid?"

She grinned. "I may or may not have gotten some dirt on that Red Leader guy, you interested?"

"What? It's late, you should--"

She quickly came in and closed the door, glancing around before pointing at the packet on the bedside table. "Did you read it?"

"No, what does that-"

"Do you want to communicate with your friends or no," She interrupted.

"What? How?" I asked, interest piqued.

"Um, you realize I am surrounded by mercenaries, Mari is a convenient genius, and I'm good at making smuggling deals?" She smirked.

"What,"

"Don't bother it's for plot,"

"What plot?"

"Life is a game we all play. I happen to be very good at bending the rules to my own needs, as is Mari," She said quickly, waving off my questions. "Now, do you want to get a message to your friends, or what?"

I nodded my head vigorously. "Yeah!" But.....I never mentioned them-"

"Mari said you mumbled two names while delirious; 'Matt', and 'Edd'," she supplied.

I nodded my head. "Matt Harvestal and Edd Goldgreave. My two best friends," I confirmed.

She pulled out a small tablet and began typing. "Would Matt happen to be a ginger who looks too innocent for the army, and is Edd a shortie wearing a coca cola pin?"

I laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like them," I admitted.

"Alright tell me what you wanna say to each. They're at seperate stations, but fortunately we have spies at both. With Matt we have three...." She tapped something on the tablet. "Oh.....Of course....Only people you trust to be loyal...." She muttered, before reading out the names. "Olivia Tvitser, Head Communications Officer, 3rd Division, First class.....Same station as Matt. Lilith and Janisth Hanahaki, twins, both are airmen.....Both work in a communications office as a linguist....Janisth for Italian.....and Lilith speaks.....Finnish. Of course she does. She was Mari's favorite...." Delphi grumbled, tapping harshly on the other tab as she moved forward to be next to me.

"Maybe Lilith would be a better option. After all, Finnish is impossible," I muttered.

"You're saying that because the only time you ever heard finnish was from a loituma video of levan polkka,"

"That's awfully specific...."

"It's true. I assume you listened to the Hatsune Miku version?" she shuddered.

"That was Tord, who laughed his ass off. He's fluent in japanese because of his....." I grimaced. ".....Hobbies...."

She nodded seeming satisfied with my answer. "Mari and I lived in Finland for about 2 years. I'm not fluent, but Mari is."

"How old are you?"

"I'm 9. Well, in a week,"

"That's....Young. What are you doing here?"

"I've only been here about 8 months. Mari's been here for 10 years."

"That would make Mari have been here since they were 12...."

"Dad ran this place,"

"Ah,"

"Yeah. Mari was a sort of spy they don't really expect. At all...."

"Anyway, the message? What about Edd? Who's he around?"

She perked up immediately. "Oh him? He's at a pretty big base, so we have like 9 people there,"

"Oh really...."

"Yeah! There's........"

She continued to list off names, ranks, and jobs, but I wasn't paying much attention. All I felt was a dull throb in the back of my head as everything grew fuzzy and a light scratching on my wrist.

Everything seems so.....Soft....

TBC


	36. 31: Commie's Reply

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it has been months. I'm so sorry.

Tom's Pov:

My head feels so light. Why is Delphi looking at me so weird? Who is she calling?  
Everything's blurry.  
What's scratching at my wrist?  
What...?

Tord's Pov:

I had seen the message earlier. It truly made me laugh, in a way.  
I finished my duties in a haze, a foggy spot in my memory at the forefront of my mind.  
What am i forgetting?  
I eventually ended up in my office, an hour later, and sat down, grabbing a pen and rolling up my sleeve.  
And then, I wrote my little reply.  
'Oh "Captain"...You can't beat me.  
Not without joining me.  
And by the time you join me?  
I'll already have won.  
By the time you could ever beat me, it'll be too late.  
Don't worry, my offer stays open.  
-Red Leader'  
With that done, I rolled down my sleeve and retired to my room.  
Tom will take the bait, I know he will.  
I just have to wait.

TBC


End file.
